Senator Peter Nwaoboshi enmeshed in fresh N3.4billion procurement scandal

…Allegedly awards NDDC contracts worth N232,209,600 each to 15 companies belonging to him without due process

If the provisions of Sections 24 and 27 of the Public Procurement Act No. 65 of 2007 and the anti-corruption crusade of the Buhari-led administration is anything to go by, the Senator representing Delta North Senatorial District, Senator Peter Noeluka Nwaoboshi, who is also Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Delta Affairs should have been arrested, tried and charged to court by now, following the mammoth allegations of fraud, contract inflation, violation of Public Procurement Act, flagrant abuse of office and embezzlement of public funds worth N3,483,144,000 (three billion, four hundred and eighty three million, one hundred and forty four thousand naira), meant for the production of plastic desks and chairs for primary and secondary schools in 9 (nine) oil producing states in Nigeria in the 2016 appropriation.

This is not the first time the Delta Born controversial senator and his companies will be involved in criminal cases, money laundering and misappropriation of public funds running into billions of naira. Recall that in 2007, a Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the temporary forfeiture of Guinea House, a Delta State owned property in Lagos illegally acquired by Senator Nwaoboshi through one of his proxy companies to the Federal Government. This followed a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against the senator by the Anti-Corruption Group and Integrity Forum, a group interested in promoting good governance, transparency and sustenance of the rule of law in Nigeria.

Since April, 2017 when these fresh allegations against Senator Nwaoboshi were brought before the EFCC and Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions over the illegality and fraud in the process leading to the award of contracts by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) via separate petitions, alleging how Senator Nwaoboshi used his position to unlawfully influence and manipulate award of contracts worth N3,483,144,000 (three billion, four hundred and eighty three million, one hundred and forty four thousand naira) to his companies and cronies when the Tenders Board of NDDC was not consulted before the contracts were awarded, neither has Senator Nwaoboshi been apprehended to initiate criminal proceedings against him and his criminal allies, made to return the mobilization fee he received for the contracts into the coffers of the Federal Government of Nigeria nor relieved of his Chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs to enable him answer the numerous allegations of fraud and corruption raised against him in the various petitions.

Our investigations reveal that contrary to section 24 (1) of the Public Procurement Act which states that except as provided by the Act, all procurement of goods and works by procuring entities shall be conducted by open competitive bidding and Section 27 (1) of the same Act which provides that all bids in response to invitation to open competitive bidding must be submitted in writing, in addition to any other format stipulated in the tender documents, signed by an official authorized to bind the bidder to a contract and placed in a sealed envelope, there was no open competitive bidding in line with the provisions of the law.

Senator Nwaoboshi awarded the contracts worth N3,483,144,000 (three billion, four hundred and eighty three million, one hundred and forty four thousand naira) to15 (fifteen) companies registered in the names of his relatives and proxies, some of which are not even registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) for the production of plastic desks and chairs for primary and secondary schools in 9 (nine) oil producing states.

The 15 (fifteen) companies are; Benchmark Construction & Projects Limited; Milestone Allied Builders Limited; Edendoma Stars Intl; Isumabe U.K Global Ventures; Nelpat (Nig) Company; Edrihide Company; Antlers Construction & Allied Works Limited; AGH-Rown Ventures; NOAN Integrated Services Limited; De-Towers Construction & Allied Services; Eastern Wrought Iron Limited; Franstine Nig. Enterprise; Brant Technologies; Omozuabho Global Resources and Bugstruct Limited.

Investigations reveal that out of the above companies, all believed to have links with Senator Nwaoboshi, Benchmark Construction & Projects Limited got the contract for the production of plastic desks and chairs for primary and secondary schools in Abia State at the cost of N232,209,600 (Two Hundred and Thirty Two Million, Two Hundred and Nine Thousand, Six Hundred Naira); Milestone Allied Builders Limited and Edendoma Stars Intl got the same contract sum of N232,209,600 each for the same purpose in Akwa Ibom State; Isumabe U.K Global Ventures; Nelpat (Nig) Company and Edrihide Company also got N232,209,600 each for the same contract in Bayelsa.

In Cross River State, Antlers Construction & Allied Works Limited got her share of the contract sum of N232,209,600 for the same production of plastic desks and chairs for primary and secondary schools while AGH-Rown Ventures and NOAN Integrated Services Limited were also awarded the same contract in Delta State at the sum of N232,209,600 each. Brant Technologies, Omozuabho Global Resources and Bugstruct Limited also got N232,209,600 each for the same contract all in Rivers State.

De-Towers Construction & Allied Services, Eastern Wrought Iron Limited and Franstine Nig. Enterprise also got N232,209,600 each as contract sum for the production of same plastic desks and chairs for primary and secondary schools in Edo, Imo and Ondo States respectively.

One will wonder how many schools in Nigeria today are using plastic desks and chairs. Another question begging for an answer is how NDDC came about with a uniform reviewed project cost in the sum of N232,209,600 (Two Hundred and Thirty Two Million, Two Hundred and Nine Thousand, Six Hundred Naira) for all the 15 lots and why will contracts be awarded to companies believed to be unregistered?

Further investigations into the registration history of the above-mentioned companies with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) Abuja revealed that 4 (four) of the companies: Benchmark Construction & Projects Limited with RC No: 925180; Milestone Allied Builders Limited with RC No: 925074; Antlers Construction & Allied Works Limited with RC No: 925188 and De Towers Construction & Allied Services with RC No: 925182 were all registered on the same day (December 3rd, 2010) with Plot 3011B, Kuranakh Close, Maitama, FCT-Abuja as their registered address. This is the same registered address for Golden Touch Construction Projects Limited; the company Senator Nwaoboshi used to illegally acquire the 12-storey building at 27, Marine Road, Apapa, belonging to the Delta State government otherwise known as Guinea House. On the other hand, Isumabe U.K Global Ventures with RC No: 2388764 and Edrihide Company with RC No: 238832 both have No. 7, Chief Michael Metuiwe Street, Off Okpanam Road, Asaba, Delta State as address for the companies which were registered on January 29 and February 2, 2016 respectively.

Noan Integrated Services Ltd. with RC No: 987259 was registered on October 17, 2011 with No. 1, Odagwe Lane, Isieke, Ibusa, Delta State as its registered address; Eastern Wrought Iron Limited with RC No: 3830 which was allegedly registered on June 20, 1964 is located at No. 5, Station Road, Box 404, Port Harcourt, Rivers State while Brant Technologies Limited with RC No: 395431, registered on November 22, 2000 is located at No. 34, Oromenike Layout, Emekuku Line, also in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

While Omozuabho Global Resources with RC No: 117508, located at Block D, Mosheshe Estate, Off Airport Road, Warri, Uvwie in Delta State was registered on September 9, 2011, Bugstruct Limited with RC No: 969754, registered on August 3, 2011 has Plot 120, Obiwali Road, Rumuigbo, Port Harcourt in Rivers State as the registered address.

Interestingly, 4 (four) out of the above-listed companies allegedly linked to Senator Nwaoboshi that equally got the whooping sum of N232,209,600 (Two Hundred and Thirty Two Million, Two Hundred and Nine Thousand, Six Hundred Naira) each as contract sum for the production of plastic desks and chairs for primary and secondary schools in the Niger Delta region were discovered not to be registered based on the records gathered at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in Abuja. The companies are: Edendoma Stars Intl which got the contract sum of N232,209,600 for schools in Akwa Ibom; Nelpat (NIG) Company which got the same contract sum for schools in Bayelsa State; AGH-Rown Ventures got its share of the contract deal for schools in Delta State while Franstine Nig. Enterprise also got the same contract sum for schools in Ondo State.

It was also gathered on good authority that out of the total sum N3,483,144,000 (three billion, four hundred and eighty three million, one hundred and forty four thousand naira) for the contracts, Senator Nwaoboshi had received up to 50% of the entire contract sum as mobilization fee which he again used in acquiring choice properties in different parts of the country. He is also alleged to have equipped some militants in the Niger Delta region with sophisticated arms and ammunition who masquerade themselves as freedom fighters while involving in acts such as vandalizing oil pipelines thereby sabotaging the economy as well as frustrating the efforts towards maintaining peace and security efforts by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.