Senator representing Delta North and Chairman Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Peter Nwaoboshi has reacted to startling revelations of the list of the beneficiaries of contracts awarded by the Federal Government intervention agency, the Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC), which included over 30 federal lawmakers.
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio in his response to the ultimatum given by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila had attached list of beneficiaries of contracts awarded by the NDDC between 2011-2019.
Akpabio in his memo mentioned Chairmen of Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs and the House of Representatives with similar oversight functions on the agency as beneficiaries.
He noted that “It has always been known that the two chairmen of the committees on NDDC in both chambers yearly exhibit unusual influence to the exclusion of committee members and even the management of the NDDC in appropriating funds to details embellished in the budget after the passage of line items at the plenaries.”
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Incidentally, the duo of Senator Peter Nwaoboshi and Honourable Tunji-Ojo were chairmen of both Committees.
Referring to media reports in Monday edition of certain national dailies, Senator Nwaoboshi dismissed the list released by Senator Akpabio as bogus.
The Chairman Senate Committee on Niger Delta said he did not benefit from the NDDC contract and further challenged the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs to forward the list to the anti-graft agency and other security agencies
He said: “Mr Akpabio alleged that I was awarded contracts for 53 NDDC projects. I wish to state unequivocally that this allegation has no bearing with the truth and challenge Mr Akpabio to send the so-called list to anti-graft and other security agencies if he can substantiate the apparently baseless allegation.
Indeed I would have made further comments but for the fact that the matter is currently before two competent courts of law.
“However, suffice it to say that this unsubstantiated allegation is in line with Mr Akpabio’s well-known agenda to continuously blackmail me so as to keep diverting public attention away from the serious mismanagement of the NDDC by the Interim Management Committee (IMC) under his supervision and under the guise of a phantom forensic audit that has no operating timeline.
“My advice to Mr Akpabio and the IMC is to focus their energy on explaining to Nigerians how they spent a whopping N81.5b within a period of five months.”
While he claimed that the forensic audit of the NDDC by the agency Interim Management Committee was a misplaced priority, Senator Nwaoboshi accused the interim management of wasting public fund meant for the development of the region on “useless projects that have no developmental impact on the life and livelihood of the Niger Delta people as envisioned by the founding fathers of the NDDC.
“Mr Akpabio and his IMC should apologise to the Niger Delta people in particular and Nigerians in general for this grand wastage arising from their crass incompetence. As a realist, I am confident that a day will come when Mr Akpabio and his IMC will have a date with the law.
“I will in the meantime express my unwavering commitment to improving the lots of our people in the Niger Delta, supporting quality legislation in the National Assembly and working for a society every Nigerian can be proud of. This is my mission in politics and I would not be distracted by the antics of political mudslingers and their agents. ”
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