By KEMI KASUMU
Sadly, we were told, the NASS joined the alleged economic and financial criminals when they restricted their probe to six-month old Interim Management Committee (IMC) of NDDC which has no approved budget to operate, whereas the bulk of the corruption for 19 years involving their members they waved aside.
A prayer has been offered for any human element insulting President Muhammadu Buhari and sabotaging him over his plans and Forensic Audit by which he aims to clean-up the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
This prayer, although much more like a curse said to be well deserved by anybody who continues to join forces with anti-Niger Delta development elements, was given by a Catholic faithful and Social Media Aide to the Nigerian President, Lauretta Onochie.
EFCC
In the prayer posted on her official Facebook wall on Wednesday, Onochie, a versatile disciplinarian and nononsense presidency official, was reacting to success of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in securing the final forfeiture, of ₦827,679,098.32 from two firms connected with corruption in NDDC, on the order of court.
The EFCC had recently “secured the final forfeiture of ₦827,679,098.32 (Eight Hundred and Twenty-Seven Million, Six Hundred and Seventy-Nine Thousand and Ninety-Eight Naira, Thirty-Two Kobo) from: 1. Flank Power Resources Limited and 2. GMFD Ventures Limited.
“Both firms are linked to contractors with the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC from Delta State. From the same thieving family that has had their knees on the neck of Delta State,” Lauretta Onochie informed in the post.
She then rounded off the post with the prayer saying, “May all the plagues of Egypt come at once on anyone who insults President Buhari over his plans for NDDC and the Forensic Audit. Seriously, all plagues on them.”
In an earlier post, the Presidential Aide had further highlighted the eventually exposed Iroko behind the unending poverty and sufferings of innocent Niger Delta people as listed by serially released letter from Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, to the House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila.
According to Akpabio, apart from lawmakers who benefited as NDDC contractors, who took contracts paid for but unexecuted, other such contractors include the man who – since after his tenure as governor of Delta State – has consecutively been singular installer of governors in the state, Chief James Ibori. He got contracts to the sum of ₦485.7 million.
The letter also listed Ibori’s immediate successor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, as being awarded contracts to the sum of ₦429 million while former Abia State Governor Orji Uzo Kalu got contract to the sum of ₦500 million.
It will be recalled how some elements said to be working for Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege had reportedly dominated the internet pouring misrepresentations of NDDC issues into the consciousness of the public.
The DEFENDER’s investigations revealed that they made those efforts with a view to inciting unsuspecting Nigerians against President Buhari for ordering a Forensic Audit to uncover why the Commission failed to favour Niger Delta people, despite tens of trillions Naira pumped into it since it was established in 2001, 19 years ago to make a Dubai out of the oil-rich region.
Knowing full well that the Forensic Audit would do huge damage to their control of NDDC, which we gathered they have used as conduit pipe for siphoning government money for self economic and political projects, the accused lawmakers now in strategic positions in National Assembly had swung into action to counter it with legislative investigative panels. One of panels’ chairmen, Acting MD Pondei publicly refused to address being, according to him, that he was one of those that hijacked NDDC projects and so could not be judge in his own case.
Although President Buhari would not compromise his resolve to get to the root of 19 years economic crimes and wickedness by some Niger Delta political elites against their defenceless people they impoverished through their corruption, members of the executive – Minister Akpabio and NDDC officials – honoured invitation of the NASS suspicious panels.
Sadly, we were told, the NASS joined the alleged economic and financial criminals when they restricted their probe to six-month old Interim Management Committee (IMC) of NDDC which has no approved budget to operate, whereas the bulk of the corruption for 19 years involving their members they waved aside.
