The drama surrounding the ongoing probe of alleged financial malfeasance in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has taken a new turn as a letter purported to be from Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, conveying the list of National Assembly members who allegedly got bloated and unexecuted contracts from the Commission has been made public.
The document was released to the media in Abuja Sunday night, barely three days after the minister denied accusing National Assembly members of collecting 60 percent of the contracts at the NDDC.
The National Youth Council of Nigeria, which released the document, alleged that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, refused to disclose the names of federal lawmakers who benefitted from the NDDC contracts.
According to the document, Nicholas Mutu, former chairman, House of Representatives Committee on the NDDC, who represents the Bomadi/Patani Federal Constituency of Delta State, tops the list of those the minister linked with contracts. Mutu’s name is listed against 74 projects, including various emergency road projects in Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Rivers States.
Others are Peter Nwaoboshi (Delta-North), chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, with 53 projects including emergency repairs of Asue Street, Owa Phase 2, ldumuogbe Road via Ojemaye, Otolokpo College Road, Otolokpo, and the Police lshu Ani Ukwu Road, Issele Uku; Matthew Urhoghide (Edo-South), six projects; James Manager (Delta-South), six projects; Samuel Anyanwu (Imo-West, 8th Senate), 19 projects, and others simply identified as Ondo and Edo Reps.
The minister did not, however, state whether the lawmakers were directly awarded the contracts or they nominated the projects under their Zonal Intervention Projects, also known as constituency projects.
He did not also provide the cost of the projects listed against the lawmakers’ names, while the cost of contracts given to non-lawmakers had costs of various projects attached to them.
Akpabio had last Monday, while appearing before the House of Representatives Committee on NDDC investigating financial malfeasance in the commission, alleged that 60 percent of contracts in NDDC went to federal legislators, forcing the House on Tuesday to issue him a 48-hour ultimatum to publish the names of members of the 9th National Assembly who got 60 percent of contracts from NDDC.
At the commencement of plenary on Thursday, Gbajabiamila had said sequel to the failure of the minister to publish names of members of the National Assembly whom he alleged have collected 60 percent of contracts in the NDDC within 48 hours from Tuesday, he had directed the Clerk of the House to engage the services of legal counsel, instruct them to initiate a criminal complaint of perjury against the minister and explore the possibility of a civil defamation suit against the minister.
But in his letter read during plenary, the minister made an about-face, saying the only reference he made to 60 percent during his presentation before the NDDC committee on Monday was in response to a question by a member of the committee.
