NO CONTRACT AWARDED TO AKPABIO, BUHARI’S MINISTER CLEARED AS SENATOR’S “FRAUD” AGAINST NDDC EXPOSED

By Kemi Kasumu

“We believe that until Senator Nwaoboshi can absolve himself of his role in the looting of the resources of the Commission, he should step aside from any investigative activity against the Commission. NDDC deserves the freedom to deliver on its mandate.”

The dust raised by some members of National Assembly over contracts purportedly awarded to Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, by Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) may have finally settled.

This was as the Commission, on Monday, said it neither awarded any contract to the former governor during his days as Senate Minority Leader nor was there any evidence from its records to substantiate such claims by no other than Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta.

Rather, the claimant Senator Nwaoboshi, by evidences from its records, is shown as the one that used 11 fronts to secure contracts from the NDDC which he either did not execute or those supplies made were resold to Delta State Government.

Charles Obi Odili, Director, Corporate Affairs of the NDDC, made this disclosure in a statement he issued on Monday June 8, 2020 and which was sighted by The DEFENDER.

Odili said the Commission’s records show that Senator Nwaoboshi used 11 front companies – owned or traceable to him – “to secure a contract of N3.6 billion in September 2016, in what is perhaps the biggest single case of looting of the Commission’s resources.”

He said also listed the companies and business names of the 11 fronts to prove that he was not being fictitious.

He therefore expressed that such a man like Nwaoboshi, currently sitting as Chairman Senate Committee on Niger Delta insisting on probing the same NDDC he helped make disfunctional through the stated fraudulent activities, should not stand.

The NDDC spokesman added that “until Senator Nwaoboshi can absolve himself of his role in the looting of the resources of the Commission, he should step aside from any investigative activity against the Commission. NDDC deserves the freedom to deliver on its mandate.”

The statement read in parts: “Our attention has been drawn to a statement by Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) awarded a contract of N500 million to the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, which he did not execute.

“The Commission wishes to state that it has searched through its records and there is no evidence of any contract awarded to Senator Akpabio or any company associated with him by the NDDC. From our findings, the person who has questions to answer to the Niger Delta People is Senator Nwaoboshi.

“Our records show that Senator Nwaoboshi used 11 front companies (owned or traceable to him) to secure a contract of N3.6 billion in September 2016, in what is perhaps the biggest single case of looting of the Commission’s resources. The said companies/business names are: 

i. Noan Integrated Services;

ii. De Towers Constructions & Allied Services Ltd;

iii. Franstine Nigeria Enterprises;

iv. Edrihide Company;

v. Isumabe U.K. Global;

vi. Benchmark Construction & Allied Services Ltd

vii. Millstone Allied Builders Ltd.;

viii. Nelpat Nigeria Company;

ix. Agh-Rown Ventures;

x. Edendoma Stars International; and

xi. Antlers Construction and Allied Works Ltd.

“The inventory records show that these items were supplied and received on Senator Nwaoboshi’s business premises and warehouse. Meanwhile, the contractswere awarded to him.

“However, some of the items supplied to Nwaoboshi’s warehouse through his cronies, were later resold to the Delta state government, while the others were sold to other states through contracts awarded to him. All supply agreements were signed by one and the same person being Mr. Agbamuche Nelson, traceable to Senator Nwaoboshi.

“This is in flagrant contravention of section 58(4) (a) and (d) of the Public Procurement Act. No wonder Sen. Nwaoboshi and his cohorts are jittery about the ongoing forensic audit exercise in the NDDC and are doing everything possible to derail it.

“We believe that until Senator Nwaoboshi can absolve himself of his role in the looting of the resources of the Commission, he should step aside from any investigative activity against the Commission. NDDC deserves the freedom to deliver on its mandate.”

With the latest development, the coast is getting clearer about why there have been concerted efforts as recently witnessed by some members of the National Assembly, hurling attacks and making dangerous allegations against Akpabio, the NDDC Interim Management Committee set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to make supervise Forensic Audit of the Commission’s managements from the past.