By Akinwale Kasali
In an epic fight between former State Governors, Godswill Akpabio, former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, and currently, the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, has come under attack from his former Governor -colleagues, of Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State and Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia state, now the Senate Majority Leader.
Problem between them started when Akpabio put the names of Uduaghan and Orji, on the list of those who benefited from the contract scandal in the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, which is under the supervision of his Ministry. The names, which also includes that of another Delta State Governor, Chief James Ibori, were contained in a letter Akpabio sent to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
The National Assembly is investigating the NDDC over alleged corruption scandal running into hundreds of Billions of Naira.
The reports had alleged that Uduaghan was given the contract for the emergency repairs of Close B, Alhaji Estate & environs, Rumuodomaya, Port Harcourt at a cost of N429 million.
But in statement on Monday by his media aide, Monoyo Edon, the former governor said that the allegation was false, as he never approached the NDDC for any contract.
The statement reads:
The attention of His Excellency, former Governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, has been drawn to a publication by The Punch Newspapers of Monday 3rd August 2020, which stated that the “Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has linked two former governors of Delta State, Messrs James Ibori and Emmanuel Uduaghan, to the various contracts awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission.
“In the said publication, it was stated that Uduaghan was linked to the emergency repairs of Close B, Alhaji Estate & Environs, Rumuodomaya, Port Harcourt at a cost of N429m.
“We want to state very clearly that the said accusation is FALSE. Dr. Uduaghan has never approached the NDDC for any contract whatsoever. It is even more ridiculous that the said contract is a road inside Port Harcourt town.
“Dr. Uduaghan has drawn the attention of the Hon. Minister of the Niger Delta, Senator Godswill Akpabio to the publication and hopes he makes a correction.
“Members of the public are advised to disregard the mischievous publication.
In the same vein, Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, said that NDDC had not paid contractors that handled roads he facilitated in Abia.
Orji Kalu stated this in a statement issued by Emeka Nwala of the Office of the Senate Chief Whip and made available to the media.
The former Abia State governor said the indictment by Akpabio is quite annoying, full of lies, and that claims by Akpabio that 60 percent contracts awarded by the commission were handled by members of the National Assembly is ridiculing.
According to Kalu, the issue at stake in the NDDC has to do with missing funds and not works done, so the NDDC forensic audit should focus on the missing funds and not works done.
“The road projects mentioned by the minister are the interventions I facilitated for the communities as a private citizen before I became a Senator,’’ he said.
Kalu argued that his name was mentioned because he used his letter headed paper to write a sympathetic letter to NDDC in 2016 pleading with the commission to rescue roads in Abia.
“I was Governor of Abia between 1999 and 2007 and never held any public office until June 11, 2019, when I was sworn in as a senator.
“Between 2016 and 2018, during my tour to several communities, leaders and welfare unions of most communities pleaded for urgent intervention on some dilapidated roads.
“I wrote to the NDDC informing the body of the conditions of these roads and the need for their attention since Abia is an NDDC state.
“The NDDC in their consideration, for which I am very grateful, awarded the roads to companies that duly tendered for the projects and not myself.
“Whatever link I have with the projects is because it was considered due to my intervention,” Kalu said.
The Senate chief whip also noted that the contracts were awarded by the fully constituted body of NDDC with its board, and not the Interim Management Committee of the commission.
He said: “The roads I requested for intervention as mentioned by the Minister were repairs of Ezere-Acha-Ndiokoukwu road, Amaubiri-Eluama-Uru ring road, and Lokpaukwu, Umuchieze Ndi Oji Abam-Atan road.
“Others are Okafia-Ozuitem-Bende and Ozu-Amuru-Abam roads. “The contractors have completed and delivered these roads a long time ago except Abam-Atani road, which I learned from the contractors was slowed down due to rain but still ongoing.
“Meanwhile, the contractors who built these roads have not been paid any dime.
“I am much concerned about roads because I understand the economic importance of good roads.
“As a community leader, I do not intend to stop my interventions on roads in NDDC states because all the states need good roads.
“Good roads help to drive the economy,’’ Kalu said. He, however, urged the commission to focus on paying contractors that delivered their jobs.”
