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The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, has linked some members of the National Assembly to some contracts awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission.   Punch reports that Akpabio in a list in which he copied the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, enlisted the former Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on the NDDC, Nicholas Mutu, who represents the Bomadi/Patani Federal Constituency of Delta State, as one of the lawmakers that have been awarded contracts by the Commission. According to him, Mutu who was arraigned in court in February this year by the EFCC for alleged abuse of office and N320m fraud, received 74 projects including various emergency road projects in Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, and Rivers states.   Akpabio, who is a former governor of Akwa Ibom state, also linked the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi (Delta-Nor...

Members of the House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission have accused Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, of misleading the parliament and the public. Honourable Thomas Ereyi-Tobi, who is presiding over the hearing, also accused Akpabio of lying under oath while testifying before the panel. “I have listened attentively through all your submissions but I just want to tell you one thing, you came here to mislead the parliament and you are under oath. That is what you have done deliberately. “You decided to just come here and mislead the parliament. I want to put it to you that your submission and all the annexures, 8,9,10 and 11 are misleading. “Before then, you said you have no link of any contract between yourself and NDDC, your job is just to supervise but correspondences show you have been given approval of forensic auditor and contracts.” Acting Managing Director of NDDC, Daniel Pondei, had earlier fainted while he was being questioned b...

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta, Olubumi Ojo has excused himself from the hearing into the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) following accusation of conflict of interest. The lawmaker stepped aside for Thomas Ereyitomi to continue the investigation into mismanagement of funds by the Commission. It would be recalled that the Acting Managing Director of the commission, Prof Kemebradikumo Pondei last week staged a walkout on the committee, stating that Mr. Ojo is a man of interest in the ongoing investigation. The committee again on Friday summoned both Prof. Pondei and Sen Godswill Akpabio, the minister for Niger Delta Affairs, following revelations by the former Acting Managing Director of the Commission, Joi Nunieh. At the commencement of the investigation today, Mr. Ojo declared that, “I want say clearly that my colleagues and the leadership has passed a vote of confidence on me, however, I will like to excuse myself from this investigativ...