NDDC House Committee Chair, Pressured IMC To Pay N9bn; Why I Will Not Publish Names – Akpabio |The Source

By Adesina Soyoye

The Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has disclosed that the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, pressured the Commission’s Interim Management Committee, to pay for old  contracts amounting to the sum of N9billion.

He, also, explained why he would not publish the names of NASS members who were awarded contracts in the NDDC.

Akpabio had, while answering questions from the House Ad-hoc Committee investigating corruption allegations in the NDDC, alleged that most contracts at the Commission go to NASS members.

Embarrassed, Speaker of the House, Femi  Gbajabiamila, gave Akpabio a 48-hour ultimatum to publish the names of those NASS members, or face legal action.

But in a letter to the Speaker on Thursday,  Akpabio said because he was a member of the 8th Senate, and the Minority Leader, he had a lot of respect for the House, and so, he would not publish.

He also said that the two Chairmen – Senate and House -may have kept other members in the dark of what went on, and denied accusing members of the 9th Assembly of taking 60% of the Contracts since the Commission was yet to implement any NDDC budget.

He, however said the Chairman of the House Committee insisted that N9billion from 19 old contracts be paid.

Akpabio: “I never referred to members of the 9th House of Representatives as beneficiaries of NDDC contracts as the NDDC is yet to fully implement any NDDC budget since the beginning of the 9th National Assembly.

On the N9bn, he said: “The Director of Projects forwarded,  to me ,19 old contracts amounting to nine billion Naira, which the NDDC Chairman in the House insist the IMC must pay for”

He said he “will not make the entire document on the old contracts public as I got it from the Lead forensic auditor in confidence.”

The Acting M.D. of the NDDC IMC, Prof Bonfei had insisted that Tunji-Ojo rescued himself, from the investigation Panel, being an interested party.

Speaker Gbajabiamila on Thursday instructed the Clerk of the House, to institute criminal  charges  of perjury and civil defamation of character against Minister Akpabio.