Group backed Gbajabiamila, issued warning to Akpabio …urged him to publish names of lawmakers who benefited from NDDC contracts

As  the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, has given the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, 48 hours to publish full details of lawmakers who benefited from NDDC contracts, the coalition of Niger Delta Youth Leaders Forum in a statement Signed by the National President, Com (Engr) Japhet A.C Ogbueri and it’s National Secretary Hon Frank Ossai obtained by NAIJA LIVE TV supported the Hon Speaker.

The youth leaders met on Friday 24th 2020, to assess the current situation in the region and they issued statement saying:

“it is with amplified interest and inflated contention that we vociferously wish to call the attention of Minister of Niger Delta Affairs to Point Of Order raised by the Minority Leader, Hon Ndudi Elumelu on the floor of the Green Chamber during plenary on Tuesday 21st July, 2020, from where the Speaker issued ultimatum for him to publish full details of Lawmakers that got 60% of NDDC contracts, the locations and contract sum released so far. As a conscious pressure group, we are aware that the Minister made the allegation against Lawmakers during public hearing on Monday 20th July, 2020, the video clip is still trending on social media and everybody knows that he re-emphasized the obvious.”

NDYLC is conscious of the fact that before Chief Godswill Akpabio assumed office as Hon Minister of Niger Delta Affairs with supervisory role over *NDDC, the Intervention Agency was submerged and subsumed in bottomless pit of corruption and massive looting, as at then NDDC and corruption were inseparable Siemen twins that cannot survive without without each other. NDDC was worst than OMPADEC, polluted with volumes of abandoned projects, over involving, inflation of contract sum, frivolous payments running into billions of naira, duplication of projects, falsification of financial records, padding of budget, extra budgetary and unbudgeted spending, execution of substandard projects, eloping with mobilization fees, gross misappropriation and blind looting, to the ironic extent that over 90% of all NDDC awarded projects in the last 14yrs were abandoned after contract sums where released to dubious contractors. NDDC has continued to malfunction in its dysfunction, despite stupendous funding from Consolidated Account, NLNG, International Agencies and Multinational Companies, the agency has now constituted itself as the highest burden of development of Niger Delta Region.”

The group urge Senator Akpabio to to come to equity with clean hands and proves himself by complying to what the Hon. Speaker said.

“From our calculation, trillions of Naira has been looted by successive NDDC management Board and Staff in most despicable manner, as such we want the Minister to come to equity with clean hands, and he can only prove this by complying with the ultimatum, which in the other hand will be of great service to the suffering people of Niger Delta Region. With trillions of naira accrued to NDDC, over 50% of Niger Delta Communities are yet to get rural electrification, over 85% do not have access to portable water, over 85% are are witnessing deplorable access road condition, while others are sojourning in the den of poverty and economic deprivation,” they said.

However, the youth leaders declared support for the Honorable speaker and urged Akpabio, to publish the details as demanded and failure to do so under the stipulated time frame may warrant a massive protest.

“Therefore, as intellectual crusading pressure group, we have joined forces with ultimate from Hon Speaker for the Minister to publish the details as demanded, failure to do so under the stipulated timeframe will warrant 500 of our members in Abuja to willfully occupy Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs as a mark of protest,” they added.

Comments

comments