The Senate Committee Chairman on Niger Delta Affairs, Peter Nwaoboshi, says it is “extremely mischievous” of Godswill Akpabio to link him to contracts of the Niger Delta Development Commission.
Senator Nwaoboshi said on Monday that the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs was only attempting to “ridicule and undermine” the investigation by the National Assembly into the financial activities of the NDDC.
“It is highly instructive for the general public to be wary of the incoherent nature of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and his acolytes planted in the Interim Management Committee of the NDDC. Initially, these inglorious liars told Nigerians and the world that a sitting Senator was awarded 1,000 contracts in the NDDC and when pressed to shed some light on such weighty accusation, they recanted to 350 contracts and when further quizzed, it suddenly became 53 contracts,” Nwaoboshi said in a statement.
“The level of inconsistency of the Minister and his stooges at the IMC is quite alarming and legendary and Nigerians can see the desperate but failed attempt by them to cover their tracks but then, lies have short legs, they don’t travel far.”
On Sunday, reports emerged that Akpabio had listed – in a letter sent to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila – some lawmakers allegedly benefitting from contracts of the NDDC.
The letter guaranteed that Senator Nwaoboshi (Delta-North) got 53 agreements.
A portion of the agreements that Akpabio connected to Nwaoboshi – who’s being indicted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for tax evasion related offences – included crisis fixes of Asue Street, Owa Phase 2; ldumuogbe Road by means of Ojemaye; Otolokpo College Road, Otolokpo; and the Police lshu Ani Ukwu Road, Issele Uku.
The letter came after the previous Akwa Ibom State Governor during a conference last Monday at the House, claimed that a few individuals from the National Assembly had got contracts from the Commission.
In any case, responding, Senator Nwaoboshi in an official statement marked by his legitimate associate, Awele Onokwai, said that “since his [Nwaoboshi] political race into the Nigerian Senate as the Senator speaking to the great individuals of Niger Delta, Distinguished Senator Peter Nwaoboshi has, at no time at all, executed any agreement on for or for the benefit of the NDDC.
“The 53 agreements purportedly inclined to have been executed by Nwaoboshi, were granted to various organizations and we accept these organizations must be enrolled with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), a government parastatal accused of the obligation of supervising the presence of corporate substances in Nigeria.”
He went on: “In actuality, he who asserts must demonstrate and it is on this sacrosanct proverb that we are examining the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs to liaise with the Corporate Affairs Commission to distribute, for open utilization, the names of Shareholders just as Board Of Directors of the organizations that executed the fixes of the purportedly 53 agreements granted to Distinguished Senator.
“Undoubtedly, his hands are clean . He is neither a staff of the NDDC nor is he burdened with the obligation of paying contractual workers and it turns out to be amazingly devilish of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs to attempt to drag the personality of the regarded Lawmaker in negative lights,” Mr Onokwai said.
In the interim, additionally on Akpabio’s list was the previous Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on the NDDC, Mr Nicholas Mutu, who represents the Bomadi/Patani Federal Constituency of Delta State.
Different administrators that Akpabio named consist of Senator Matthew Urhoghide (Edo-South) with 6 tasks; James Manager (Delta-South), 6 ventures; Samuel Anyanwu (Imo-West, eighth Senate) 19 undertakings and others just distinguished as Ondo and Edo Reps.
