Days after denying claims that over 60% contracts were awarded to some lawmakers, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, has listed lawmaker who got contracts from the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
The Minister in a list in which he copied the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, enlisted the former Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on the NDDC, Nicholas Mutu, as one of the lawmakers that have been awarded contracts by the Commission.
According to him, Mutu, who represents the Bomadi/Patani Federal Constituency of Delta State received 74 projects including various emergency road projects in Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, and Rivers states.
You will recall that Mutu was arraigned in court in February 2020 by the Economic and Financial Commission, EFCC for alleged abuse of office and 320 million naira fraud.
Lawmakers Who Got Contracts From NDDC
Akpabio, who is a former governor of Akwa Ibom state, also linked the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi (Delta-North), with 53 projects.
The projects linked to Nwaoboshi include 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.
According to a report by the PUNCH, Other lawmakers that Akpabio listed are Senator Matthew Urhoghide (Edo-South), six; James Manager (Delta-South), six; Samuel Anyanwu (Imo-West, 8th Senate), 19; and others simply identified as Ondo and Edo Reps.
Meanwhile, the minister did not 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 did not also state if the lawmakers were directly awarded the contracts or they nominated the projects under their Zonal Intervention Projects, also known as constituency projects.
On Monday, July 20, Akpabio alleged that over 60% of the contracts awarded in the Commission were to members of the National Assembly.
The Minister made this known while testifying at the House of Representatives panel investigating allegations of financial recklessness at the NDDC.
