FINALLY AKAPBIO MENTIONS NAMES OF SENATORS, REPS......SEE LIST

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, has named members of the National Assembly who al­legedly got over-bloated and unexe­cuted contracts from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

This was contained in the letter by the minister sent to the National Assembly and released to the public.

The National Youth Council of Nigeria, which presented the docu­ment to the media in Abuja on Sun­day, expressed disappointment that Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, refused to dis­close the list of federal lawmakers who benefitted from the contracts awarded by the NDDC.

According to the document, Ak­pabio listed Senator Peter Nwao­boshi's name against 53 projects which included emergency repairs of Asue Street, Owa Phase 2, emer­ Road via Ojemaye, emergency repairs of Otolokpo College Road, Otolokpo, and emergency repairs of Idumuogbe gency repairs of Police Ishu Ani Ukwu Road, Issele-Uku. ­

"They also included emer­gency repairs of old Sapele Agbor Road, Obiaruku; emer­gency repairs of Ehwerhe Obada Road, Agbarho Road; emergency repairs of Hon. If­eanyi Eboigbe Street, Boji Boji Owa/Goodwill Street, Owa Alero, and emergency repairs of Ahiama Okwu to Obuocha Okwu, among others.

"Also the minister listed (Hon. Nicholas) Mutu's name against 74 projects which in­cluded various emergency road projects in Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bayela, and Rivers states.

"Other lawmakers that Akpabio listed projects against are Senator Matthew Urhoghide (6), James Man­ager (6), Sam Anyanwu (19), and others simply identified as Ondo and Edo reps."

Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the President of the Council, Solomon Adodo, said: "Mr. Speaker did not do us justice when he did not dis­close to the National Assem­bly that the list of the benefi­ciaries he demanded had been disclosed and attached to the letter sent to him.

"Gbajabiamila's decision to cover up his colleagues is unfair to the fight against cor­ruption, quest for transparen­cy, and to the commonwealth of our nation.

"We, therefore, urge Mr. Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, to resign for covering up for a set of people who had erred and breached the rules of contract.

 

"All the National Assem­bly members who benefitted from the contracts without executing them should be prosecuted to serve as deter­rent to those who may want to follow a similar path.

"It is a clear case of organ­ised crime to have individuals who benefitted from illegality now rising to probe the fact that their illegality is being exposed."

He added: "We call on all the anti-graft agencies and security agencies to, in line with the directive of Presi­dent Muhammadu Buhari, immediately proceed and go ahead with their investigation of the matter."

The youths said they were firmly in support of the fo­rensic audit instituted by the Ministry of Niger Delta Af­fairs because it had exposed those who had benefitted in the corruption that had fes­tered in the NDDC.

 

In the document displayed by the youths council, Akpa­bio was quoted as having said that his letter became neces­sary because "the investigat­ing committee on NDDC re­fused and/or neglected to give me the opportunity to explain that reference to most NDDC contracts yearly being award­ed since 2001 from the records allegedly to members of the National Assembly in both chambers were done without the knowledge of the alleged beneficiaries".

Akpabio added: "However, the two chairmen of the com­mittees in both chambers had adequate knowledge."

Reacting, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi challenged Ak­pabio to publish the names of directors of the companies that got the contracts.

"Akpabio is a confused man. NDDC used N39 mil­lion to launder his image. Let him not divert attention from the N81 billion they shared in NDDC", he said