Aside from the forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari, on the allegation of reckless spending of the commission, both the Senate and the House of Representatives are currently investigating the alleged crime in the commission.
However, the investigation turned dramatic yesterday as more facts and indictments were revealed. It was dramatic because the respondent fainted when he was asked to give an account of his stewardship and it was indicting because the minister of Niger Delta Affairs alleged that most of the NDDC contracts were awarded to lawmakers.
This dramatic scenario could be the gateway to the oblivion of the ongoing probing. This is due to the fact that the shit is likely to split on many prominent figures in the Nigerian political milieu and the 2023 narrative will become something else if this continues.
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, quickly played a smart politics of sending the probing to oblivion by quickly revealing in the public hearing that most of NDDC contract ae awarded to members of the National Assembly, including the chairman of the investigating committee.
This revelation is likely to halt the investigation being carried out by the National Assembly and also influence the forensic audit that President Buhari has ordered. Although Akpabio was firm in his revelation, he, however, could be the victim of his revelation if the accused legislatures are saints on this matter.
While he was defending the huge expenses of the commission during COVID-19 lockdown, Akpabio said, “We cannot close down the Niger Delta because of the security implication in the region. We cannot close down the NDDC because we are doing forensic audit. The NDDC plays a vital role in ensuring the peace and security of the region, and 90 percent or more of the resources of the country, on a monthly basis, comes from there. If you close it in totality, all you will have will be chaos.
“It is important that people who have gone to court, people who genuinely did jobs should be paid for their jobs. For me, I am not against it. Who are even the greatest beneficiaries? It is you, people. If you look at your chairman, your chairman…”
Here, Akpabio was interrupted by the deputy chairman of the committee but another lawmaker, Goodhead Boma, asked him to name the beneficiaries among the lawmakers.
Akpabio refused to mention any lawmaker’s name to justify his claim in public, rather, he said, “Are you asking me the beneficiaries in the National Assembly? I just told you that we have records to show that most of the contracts in the NDDC are given to members of the National Assembly but you (Boma) don’t know about it. The two chairmen (Senate and House) can explain to you. I was a member of the NDDC committee. I know what was going on.”
In response, Boma said, “You were a member of the NDDC committee in the 8th Assembly. Are you telling me that a lot of jobs were awarded to you as a member?”
While the deputy chairman, Thomas Ereyitomi tried to stop Akpabio, he continued, “That is why we have to change the modus operandi. You must not allow the two chairmen to hijack the budget every year. You are like me. I was a member like you. I did not know what was going on.”
Another lawmaker, Shehu Koko reminded Akpabio, saying, “You were on air. You said they (NDDC) gave contracts to the chairman of the committee (Tunji-Ojo) in April 2019. And the chairman was appointed in November. He was not a chairman of the committee. He was not even a member of the House.”
Here, Akpabio tried to correct himself, “I think I must correct myself. I was giving an example of a contract of N10.9bn in the chairman’s place. I am saying that contracts are split to a point where it comes below the threshold of the minister’s approval. The contract is not for the chairman, but for the chairman’s state (Ondo).”
This is what I will consider intellectual rape. For Akpabio to say that the chairman did not get the contract but the contract was awarded to his state. Now the question is, can a state bid for a contract in a government agency? Maybe Akpabio needs to explain to Nigerians what this means.
Koko insisted that Akpabio should state whether the chairman was awarded the contract or not.
Akpabio said the Chairman was not even a member of the House then.
Another member of the committee, Mr. Kolade Akinjo, asked why Akpabio recommended Cairo Ojuogboh, a medical doctor, to handle the project of the NDDC, which is against Section 12(1)(a) of the NDDC Act. Akinjo asked, “How do you reconcile a person who is a medical doctor to become an Executive Director of Projects?”
In response, the minister said, “You are asking of the qualification for the office of the executive director. I agree with you. That person should be somebody who is vast in project execution. The greatest project today in the world is medical, and that is COVID-19.”
The lawmakers at this juncture disagreed with Akpabio’s claim. A member, Goma asked if there was pandemic when Ojuogbon was appointed.
Koko on the other hand said, “I listened to you very attentively through all your submissions. But I just want to tell you: You came here to mislead the parliament and you are under oath. That is what you have done deliberately. I have my argument and it should be in line with Section 20 of the Public Procurement Act. This is your report; this is what you have presented to the committee.
“You said you had no link on any contract between yourself and the NDDC, that your job was just to supervise. But correspondences show that they are giving you approvals for forensic auditors, between you and the BPP.”
Akpabio did not only come to mislead the legislature but all Nigerians who are watching the unfolding events and to encourage the probing committee to drop the argument and let the corruption continues. After all, the money is being shared among the political elites.
With a surprise appearance of the Speaker of the House of Representative, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, who apologized for the poor ventilation in the house and said that the document submitted by the acting managing director of the NDDC, Mr. Kemebradikumo Pondei will be used for further investigation.
The speaker added that the investigation “was about fact-finding and that the facts must come out for the good of the Niger Delta people.”
As the Speaker had blocked the reappearance of Pondei in the public hearing, so, Governor Wike of Rivers State is obstructing the arrest of the former acting Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr. Joi Nunieh. All these are an attempt to force the investigation out of the public sphere, then it will go into oblivion.
Also, the opposition party, People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who was very vocal on the allegation against the former acting Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) boss, Ibrahim Magu, had been silent on the NDDC saga.
From observation, it appeared that NDDC is one agency where the politicians are united in abusing the public trust and diverting public funds. Unfortunately, many people have died in their advocacy for a better life for the people of Niger Delta, such as Ken Saro Wiwa. Many have died of environmental pollution, poverty, and hunger in the Niger Delta region. Yet, leaders from the region are frustrating the efforts to unveil how money allocated for the region’s development is being spent.
