NDDC contract scam: Lawmakers reserve right to influence projects ― Senator Akinyelure

Move by the Senate to investigate the allegation that certain lawmakers used their position to influence contract awards to themselves and their cronies might be dead on arrival.

The Senate while considering the report of its ad-hoc committee to investigate alleged financial recklessness by the Interim Management Committee resolved to adopt the recommendation of the Committee led by Senator representing Ekiti North, Olubunmi Ayodeji Adetumbi.

The Red Chamber mandated its Ethics and Privileges Committee to investigate “assertions of blackmail by the NDDC against members of the National Assembly on the subject of the procurement process.”

The Committee led by Senator representing Ondo central, Ayo Akinyelure, was given four weeks to conduct its findings and submit its report.

Minister of Niger Delta Affairs with the supervisory role on the NDDC at the weekend released names of beneficiaries of contract awards in the agency.

Checks revealed that the list featured prominent names of certain federal lawmakers which preceded the 9th National Assembly and some serving senators and members of the House of Representatives.

But addressing newsmen yesterday, Senator Akinyelure who incidentally is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges dismissed the list released by Senator Akpabio.

Senator Akinyelure said allegations that senators took contracts was a mere fallacy, meant to blackmail the lawmakers.

He maintained that there was nothing untoward if lawmakers influenced projects to their various constituencies.

The Senator representing Ondo central further alleged that the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs must have facilitated NDDC projects to his constituency while serving as Senator in the 8th National Assembly.

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He said: “As a matter of fact, the submission of Senator Akpabio is cheap blackmail which cannot be tenable anywhere in Nigeria

“Senators are representatives of the people in the legislature and we have the power of Appropriation. Projects allocated to us are put in the various ministries and agencies of government where they can be fully executed. Those of us from the Niger Delta region can lobby for some of the projects to be put in their various constituencies. That doesn’t mean that the money for their execution was given to senators

“We don’t touch money here but influence projects to be executed in our constituencies. When that is done, the executive arm of government will advertise for contractors to bid for them, and award them, following due process

“The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs was a senator in the 8th Senate. Did he not facilitate projects worth billions of naira to his own constituency through the NDDC? The answer is yes, he did. If he admits that they paid him the money for the execution of the contracts, then, it is a question of investigating who won the contracts

“The allegation that members of the National Assembly from the Niger Delta region facilitated projects is a fallacy because being indigenes of the region, they have the right to facilitate projects to their communities in the interest of their constituents

“If I’m the chairman of the Niger Delta committee in the Senate and projects worth N200bn are to be allocated to the region, I will influence 10 per cent of it to my constituency. The projects are meant for Niger Delta region, therefore there is nothing wrong for the National Assembly members from the region to facilitate some of them to their constituencies.”

Akinyelure, however, said his Committee would still proceed with the assignment it has been saddled with a sequel to the recommendation of the Senator Adetumbi committee report.

“However, if these projects were successfully facilitated and a particular Senator used his company to take the money away, our committee will go and investigate, where they fall short, they would be nailed by the law. If the projects were never executed and senators used their companies to take the money away, that is a fraud

“Our committee can try any senator who engages in unethical practices whenever we have such a case. We don’t condone unethical practices.

“Allegations that some senators have taken money to execute contracts in the NDDC is a fallacy of the highest order because we have our records, we don’t do that. Our committee will look into the allegations of blackmail against some lawmakers and make our findings public.”

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