By Precious Orji
Embattled Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, retracted his claim that National Assembly lawmakers demanded and got 60 per cent of contracts from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), an agency which his ministry supervises.
Akpabio, in a letter to the House, which had on Tuesday given him a 48-hour ultimatum that expired yesterday, to publish the names of the contractor-lawmakers, said the reference he made to 60 per cent during his presentation before the House NDDC Committee was in response to a question by a member of the committee.
NDDC matter was also the focus of the Senate yesterday as it demanded the dissolution of the agency’s Interim Management Committee (IMC), the return of its supervision to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and the refund of N4.923 billion in illegal payments to the coffers of the commission.
Akpabio’s letter was submitted to the House Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, at the plenary yesterday, soon after he signified the House’s intention to take a legal action against the minister for perjury and civil defamation.
Akpabio, while appearing on Monday before the House Committee on NDDC investigating financial malfeasance in the commission, had said 60 per cent of NDDC contracts were given to federal legislators.
But in the letter, which is a response to the one Gbajabiamila had directed the House clerk to write to the minister to substantiate his allegation, Akpabio had explained that a lawmaker had asked him whether a medical doctor (Dr. Cairo Ojougboh) could serve as an executive director in charge of projects at the NDDC, to which he responded by saying that since 50 to 60 per cent of NDDC contracts were medical related, then there was nothing wrong in a doctor being in charge of projects.
He stated that Ojougboh sent him a list of 19 contracts yet to be paid for, which the chairman of the House Committee on NDDC insisted must be paid before the 2020 budget of the commission could be passed.
Akpabio appealed to the speaker to pass the message to the lawmakers who probably misunderstood his statement.
He said:”…the investigating committee refused or neglected to give me the opportunity to explain the reference to ‘most NDDC contracts awarded since 2001 from the records allegedly to members of the National Assembly was done without the knowledge of the alleged beneficiaries. However, the two chairmen of the committees in both chambers have adequate knowledge.
”I never referred to members of the ninth National Assembly as beneficiaries of NDDC contracts as NDDC is yet to fully implement any NDDC budget since the commencement of the ninth National Assembly. In fact, the 2019 budget passed in February and harmonised on 5th of March, 2020 was received by the commission in the middle of April 2020 when the same was designated to expire on May 31, 2020.
”However, it is pertinent to point out that the clerk forwarded a letter dated March 20, without attaching the budget details, this anomaly was brought to the attention of the Senate investigating purported financial recklessness by the management of the commission in July 2020.
”It has always been known that the two chairmen of the committees on NDDC in both chambers exhibit unusual influence to the exclusion of committee members and even the management of the NDDC appropriate funds projects after passing of line items at plenary.
”May I assure Mr. Speaker that as a former minority leader of the 8th Senate of Federal Republic of Nigeria, I shall forever promote the ideals of the National Assembly as an institution hence I will not make the attached documents public since I obtained it from the lead forensic auditors in confidence. Permit me explain that any reference to 50 or 60 per cent during the investigative hearing was in answer to a question by a member of the committee as to whether or not a medical director could act as executive director to projects within the confines of NDDC Act 2000.
”I answered in the affirmative, pointing out that the greatest project in the world today is COVID-19 pandemic, which is medical in nature. Furthermore, I am made to understand that 50 to 60 per cent of NDDC yearly budgets are medical in nature. Therefore, it is fitting for a medical doctor to act as executive director of projects in those trying times.”
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Responding, Gbajabiamila said he knew when he asked Akpabio to prove his allegation that there was no way or how that was going to happen because no such thing happens in the National Assembly.
”I’m not passing the so-called misunderstanding to the 9th Assembly but to the whole world; the minister is saying here that he never said what we thought he said. I knew when I made bold that statement, for him to come up with his proof of allegation, that there was no way or how that was going to happen. Because no such thing happens here.
”His letter has confirmed it; he has pointed fingers to the chairman of the committee here in the House and Senate, but in pointing those fingers again, he has said the chairman was not a member of this House at the time and all he said about the chairman is that he asked him to pay people who are owed contracts. Anything here needs to be further examined. I’m glad we’ve put this to rest,” he added.
The speaker referred the letter to the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges for further consideration.
However, before Gbajabiamila read Akpabio’s letter, the lawmakers had resolved to file a lawsuit against Akpabio for criminal perjury and civil defamation.
Gbajabiamila, at the commencement of plenary, had said the decision to head to court was sequel to the failure of the minister to publish names of members he accused of getting 60 per cent of NDDC contracts.
”This morning, I asked the Clerk of the House of Representatives to engage the services of legal counsel and instruct them to initiate a criminal complaint of perjury against the minister. At the same time, we will instruct counsel to explore the possibility of a civil defamation suit against the minister.
”The House of Representatives is a public trust placed in our care for the duration of our term in office. We must prove ourselves worthy of this public trust or risk the censure of history. Therefore, we will resist every attempt to undermine this institution, whether such attempts come from within or from outside. This House will live up to the highest expectations of the Nigerian people. This is our commitment, and we will not fail,” Gbajabiamila had stated.