The minister of Niger Delta affairs, Godswill Akpabio has said the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) will not be raped under his watch.
Anietie Ekong, the media assistant to the minister, in a statement on Tuesday quoted the minister disclosing this while responding to Peter Nwoboshi, the chairman senate committee on Niger Delta, who last week accused the minister of demanding contracts worth N500 million.
Nwaoboshi had claimed he deleted Akpabio’s phone number over allegations that he is fuelling the crisis between NDDC and the national assembly.
Recall that Kemebradikumo Pondei, the acting managing director of the commission had accused federal lawmakers of inserting over 500 non-existent projects in the commission’s budget.
However, Akpabio denied asking the Senator for contracts.
“The truth is that the letters he was brandishing were addressed to the leadership of the national assembly at the time to make recommendations for zonal intervention projects as requested by the leadership,” he said.
“Is he the managing director of the NDDC? Senator Akpabio never requested NDDC contracts from Senator Peter Nwaboshi as he is claiming.
“He is lying and no one should take him serious.
“With the present Interim Management Committee led by Prof Kemebradikumo Pondei and the NDDC under the supervision of Senator Godswill Akpabio as minister of Niger Delta affairs, it can no longer be business as usual as the wanton rape of the Niger Delta region must stop.”
The minster asked Nwaboshi to respond to the allegations levelled against him by the interim management committee (IMC) of the NDDC.
“Rather than seek for straws to cling on, Senator Nwaoboshi should address the grievous allegations of the NDDC that he mindlessly wrecked the NDDC budget for his personal benefits, a practice that has been perpetrated over the years and throwing the Commission into near insolvency which the present management is trying to clean up,” he said.
