Testifying before the committee yesterday, the Head of Research at the Act for Positive Transformation Initiative (APTI), Johnson Kolawole, alleged that some NDDC officials diverted monies meant for students under scholarship into their personal accounts.
”They (students) kept crying that their dues are not being paid and they are being locked out by their schools,” Kolawole said.
He claimed that while the students were complaining of the non-payment of the scholarship monies, “the NDDC team were busy paying themselves monies meant for students.”
He said some of the affected students had reached out to him to complain about their plight.
He, therefore, called on the Federal Government to come to the aid of the students “as fast as possible, even if it means bending the rules.”
He also said that the IMC had expended over N80 billion between January 2020 and May 2020 as against the N22 billion repeatedly portrayed by the IMC.
He said that the 2019 Appropriation Act as passed by the National Assembly provided for some emergency projects across the state in the region with an additional N800 million as emergency contingency sum.
According to him, the IMC has spent N20 billion on emergency road repairs; there are fraudulent cases of contract inflation and non-implementation.
“How would they explain the payment of N13.6 million for consultancy on the construction of ‘infant Jesus’?
He said: “On May 19, 2020, the IMC paid a firm N39.375 million as consultancy fee for rebuttal. What a waste!
“The company had earlier received 34 million naira into its account for ‘consultancy on reputation management for NDDC’.
“Same day, when businesses and countries were closing their doors, the same company was paid N34 million for ‘Niger Delta Development Forum in Washington DC, USA’ and another N32.9 million for ‘Summit on NDDC and Investment Opportunities in Dorchester, London’, same day.
“There was no evidence of implementation of above contracts. Money paid went to private individuals; this ad hoc committee can call for the account statements of the firm to verify this.
“Same company received into same account a sum of 536 Million Naira for “campaign to save lives” in the Niger Delta on April 23, 2020.
“The payment was broken into 16 units to divert attention. Again, the money went into private pockets. Some staffs of the commission were beneficiaries.
“May 22nd, another N641 million was paid to same company for media support for forensic audit as though forensic audit was meant to be a media affair.”
The Committee summoned the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs to appear before it by 11am on Monday to respond to the issues raised by Nunieh.
It also directed the Acting Managing Director of the NDDC to also appear unfailingly with the Minister.
Notice of the summons is to be made through the electronic media or any other medium.
Akpabio denies Nunieh allegations, threatens to sue for defamation
Akpabio, in a statement on Friday through his Special Assistant on Media, Anietie Ekong, said he had instructed his lawyers to seek redress in court over alleged defamatory statements made by the former NDDC boss.
Ms Nunieh had accused the minister of making sexual overtures to her.
In the statement, Ekong described Nunieh’s allegations as “cornucopia of false, malicious and libelous.”
He said: “The Honourable Minister’s initial attitude was to allow his lawyers and the judicial system vindicate him of the false allegations against him, but he is compelled to react to some of the wayward allegations leveled against his person by Ms. Nunieh, especially the one bordering on sexual harassment.
“To start with, let it be known that there is no scintilla of truth in all the allegations peddled around by Ms. Nunieh. They are simply false!
“The Honourable Minister did not at any time, place or circumstance make any form of sexual advances to Ms. Nunieh, not even to put himself in a position or posture suggestive of sexual advances towards Ms. Nunieh, or any female staff of his Ministry or the NDDC.
“For the records, the Honourable Minister, Senator Godswill Akpabio, CON is happily married and contented with his wife. Together they are blessed with children, four of whom are young women.
“The Honourable Minister is an avid believer of the Affirmative Action and that was visible in the appointments he made as a two (2) term Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State between 2007 and 2015. Under his watch, he appointed several women into various high level positions as chairpersons of Local Government Councils, Magistrates, Judges, Heads of Parastatals, Directors, Permanent Secretaries, and Commissioners.
“The Honourable Minister has never hidden his admiration and respect for his wife, Mrs. Ekaete Akpabio, children and sisters. He therefore felt compelled to react to the malicious attack on his person by Ms. Nunieh bordering on allegations of sexual harassment.
“The Honourable Minister therefore finds the said allegation nauseating and a very cheap blackmail, for Ms. Nunieh to suggest or insinuate that he sexually harassed her while she was the Acting Managing Director of the NDDC.
“The Honourable Minister has taken steps to instruct his lawyers to seek necessary redress in a court of competent jurisdiction on his behalf over the defamatory statements made by Ms. Nunieh.
“On a final note, while encouraging all Nigerians to hold their leaders to account, he urges them to take their time to sift between the chaff and the substance before embarking on far reaching allegations, opinions and views.”