Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Godswill Akpabio has written the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), requesting official brief on the current allegations of corruption rocking the Commission.
The Minister in a letter to the Acting Managing Director of the NDDC dated April 28, 2020, signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Olusade Adesola, requested the NDDC Management to also address the allegations of the mandatory retirement of the Staff of the Commission over leaked documents.
They are mandated to respond within three days from the receipt of the letter.
The letter read in part, “I wish to express the concern of the Ministry on the recent waves of allegations of corruption in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as reported by a number of online media.
“As you are aware, one of the online platforms in it’s April 24, 2020 edition posted the picture of a letter Ref. No. NDDC /MD/HPU/20/4/THSS/05 dated
April 6, 2020 purportedly issued by the NDDC awarding a contract with the subject “Emergency procurement of Specialized Medical Personnel
Protective Equipment (PPE) for Health Workers and Provision of Community-Based Sensitization Campaign Against the Spread of COVID-19 and Other Communicable Diseases in the Nine State of the Niger-Delta Region” in favour of Messrs. Signora Concepts Services Ltd at the cost of N5,474,647,125.00.
“The is one of the cases of allegations of corruption raised in the report”.
It continued that “the concern of the Ministry is informed by the fact that the letter referred to in paragraph 2 above was allegedly issued at a time when the approval of your request to provide intervention support for COVID- 19 to States in the Niger-Delta Region made to His Excellency, the President was still being awaited”
“In the above circumstance and the extent on the assault of the person of the Honourable Minister, I am hereby directed to request a written explanation from the commission on the trending allegations of corruption and the actions taken so far within three days from the receipt of this letter to enable the Minister forward a response to appropriate authority.”
Meanwhile in a response, the NDDC Director, Corporate Affairs, Charles Obi Odili, described the purported contract documents trending online as fake or at best unauthorized.
According to him, “letters for all contracts awarded by the Commission are signed by the Executive Director, Projects on the authority of the acting Managing Director who is the Chief accounting officer of the Commission.”
He stated further that, “we wish to unequivocally deny that contract. The document is simply fake or at best unauthorised. The letters for all contracts awarded by the Commission are signed by the Executive Director, Projects on the authority of the Ag Managing Director who is the chief accounting officer of the Commission”
“Neither of the officials is aware of the contract letter. It is inconceivable that a contract and of such magnitude could be awarded otherwise. The Commission has launched an internal investigation into how such a letter came to be issued and on what authority”
“For the purpose of transparency, we wish to confirm that the Commission has just secured Presidential approval to intervene by assisting NCDC in the supply of kits and the building of isolation centres in the nine Niger Delta states.”
He noted that the Commision has noticed an increase in attacks on the Interim Management Committee and the Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs since the launch of a forensic audit into the affairs of the commission, adding that “the attacks are meant to distract the commission from the task of holding those who looted the commonwealth to account”.
He added that, “the Honourable Minister and the Interim Management Committee are determined to see through this audit. On Wednesday, April 22 when the relevant documents were handed over to the lead consultant for the forensic audit, the Ag Managing Director, Prof Kemebradikumo Pondei warned that this exercise cannot be truncated. To quote him: ‘Those who took part in the grand conspiracy to loot the commonwealth are jittery that their misdeeds will come to light. We wish we could sympathise with them.
“But it could have occurred to them that a day of reckoning will come. The fear of the impunity of their past misdeeds being brought to light is causing panic. In fact, the vultures are shivering. Let us place on record that no amount of intimidation, campaign of falsehood and ‘breakdancing’ will abort this exercise”
“The public should be prepared for more of these attacks against the commission. It is important to point out that most of the attacks use online publications, with no known addresses or physical assets, which can be sued for defamation of character by the officials they are clearly libelling. The mainstream media with standards have not joined this jaundiced plot’
“The Commission also wish to warn those agents of darkness from the Niger Delta who are hell bent on destroying every good thing in the region to change course.”
“The essence of the present IMC and the forensic audit ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari are to reposition the Commission to make it fit for purpose. Anyone with any evidence of wrong doing should reach out to the IMC or the auditors. The forensic auditors should be allowed to complete their assignment so those who failed the region can be held to account”
“It is also clear that people who have political agenda against the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs are also seeing the Commission as a fair game. It is imperative to say that the commission is an agency for the good of the Niger Delta region. The greatest disservice that can be done is for political gladiators of today to make the commission a collateral damage in their contest for power and influence. Tomorrow will come. Besides, the Hon Minister’s uncommon passion for a new Niger Delta should be applauded and not attacked.”
