Senator Godswill Akpabio

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio has said the Director of Projects in the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, forwarded documents related to 19 old contracts which the chairman of the House Committee on the Commission, Bunmi Ojo, insisted must be paid for. 

Akpabio made the claim in a letter addressed to the House of Representatives and read by the Speaker, Rep. Femi Gbajabimila at the plenary on Thursday.

The letter was in response to  Tuesday July 21, 2020,  48-hour ultimatum issued by Gbajabiamila for Akpabio to publish the names of legislators and details of contracts awarded to them by the NDDC as he alleged during a public hearing on Monday. 

According to Akpbabi, the Chairman of the House Committee on NDDC had asked the Interim Management of the Commission to pay for the contracts.   

He said in the letter, “The Director Projects forwarded to me 19 old contracts amounting to nine billion naira which the NDDC Chairman in the house insist the IMC pay for,” he said.

Akpabio said that as a former Minority Leader of the 8th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, He shall forever hold the ideals of the National Assembly.

He therefore said he will not make the entire document on the old contracts public as he got it from the lead forensic auditor in confidence.

But the Minister also said he never alleged that 60 per cent of contacts in the NDDC were awarded to lawmakers during the investigative hearing on the alleged financial malfeasance amounting to N40 billion in the NDDC,

Akpabio denied saying under oath that 60 per cent of contracts in the commission were awarded to lawmakers.

In the letter, Akpabio explained that the investigative committee did not allow him explain what he meant when he made reference to 60 per cent contracts in the NDDC.

“As to the reference to 60 per cent of contracts, the investigative committee refused and neglected to give me opportunity to explain that; I  was responding to a question by a member of the committee

“Permit me to explain that any reference to 60 per cent during the investigative hearing was in answer to a question by a member of the committee as to whether or not, a medical doctor could act as Executive Director project which I answered in affirmative.

“That the greatest project in the world today is COVID-19, which is medical in nature; further more, I am made to understand that 60 per cent of NDDC yearly budget are medical in nature, therefore is better for a medical doctor  to serve as the Executive Director Projects,” it reads.

“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.

Gbajabimila, however, forwarded the letter to the House Committee on Ethics and Privilege for further scrutiny and legislative actions.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Speaker had earlier directed Clerk of the house to engage services of the legal counsel to sue Akpabio for perjury following his failure to respond to ultimatum about two hours before Akpabio’s letter was read on the floor.