NO fewer than 30 members of the
House of Representatives are expected to appear before the House of Representatives Committee on Ethics and
Privileges over the allegations bordering on the execution of over N100 billion
in the controversial 2018 emergency projects awarded by the Niger Delta
Development Commission (NDDC).
This was in compliance with the
directive issued by the speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable
Femi Gbajabiamila, during Thursday’s
plenary, who referred the letter sent by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs,
Senator Godswill Akpabio, to the House
Committee on Ethics and Privileges for further investigation.
Some of the members listed in the
controversial letter are from Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Ondo, Imo states as well as
unnamed ‘Caucus in the House of Representatives’. In the three-page letter with
Ref No: MNDA/HM/041/ IV/158 dated 23rd
July 2020 and entitled ‘Some Niger Delta
Development Commission contracts allegedly given to some members of the
National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives)’, Akpabio alleged that
the investigating committee on NDDC refused and/or neglected to give him the
“opportunity to explain the reference to most NDDC contracts yearly being
awarded since 2001 from the records allegedly to members of the National
Assembly in both chambers.
“However, the two chairmen of the
Committee on NDDC had adequate knowledge,” he said. The minister further added
that: “It has always been known that the two chairmen of the Committees on NDDC
in both chambers yearly exhibited
unusual influence to the exclusion of committee members and even the
management of NDDC in appropriating funds to
details embellished in the budget after the passage of the line items at
the plenaries.”
While justifying his position,
Senator Akpabio stated that: “To show you some typical examples, herewith
attached are documents showing nature of contracts, amount of such contracts
(in some cases), date of awards and beneficiaries.
Some were awarded to the two
chairmen of both Committees in the House of Representatives and the Senate
respectively, serving at the period of the awards (Annexures ‘B’, ‘C’, and
‘D’). However, due to the 48 hours notice the
forensic auditors could not sift through the thousands of files in their
possession to provide more.”
Some of the members listed in the
controversial letter are from Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Ondo, Imo as well as unnamed
‘Caucus in the House of Representatives’. Some of the acronyms written on the
Annexures A, B, C and D attached to the minister’s letter are Bayelsa
representative, who got a contract worth N413,293,006.88; Ondo
representative Ubadinma Blessing), who
got contracts worth N552,563,379.38; Imo representative, who got contracts
worth N585,577,933.50; Edo representative, who got contracts worth
N502,435,025.17; House of Representatives caucus also got contracts worth
N254,384,426.63 with contract details of Kabaka Brown; North-East
representative got two contracts worth N717.555 million; while one Honourable
Nadu got contract worth N484,762,887.
Also listed as beneficiaries of
the multi-billion naira NDDC contractors are TC/COP Villa/ MD who got several
contracts for undisclosed amounts; AIG
Operations Abuja who got contracts worth N186,771,348.75, while DIG/Ochei got a contract worth N348,702,613.61; GOC 6
Division also got a contract worth N349,976,919.86; CSO/CNC got contract worth
N150,342,858.75; MD/EFCC for a contact of Godwin Udoidiong for undisclosed
amount; George Moghalu National Auditor/ EDP also got contracts worth
N198,397,145.63; EDP/ Giadom also got contract worth N663,155,999.63 and
N649,013 million; while Justice Nnamdi Dimgha FHC got contract worth
249,555,206.25.
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