NDDCgate: Judge, Army GOC, Police AIG, DIG, Ex-governors, APC Chieftains, EFCC Official Fingered in NDDC Contracts

Aside the list of lawmakers fingered in the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, contracts list, more beneficiaries have emerged on the list sent to House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, by Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio.

While appearing before a House panel probing the alleged mismanagement of N81.5bn by the Interim Management Committee of the NDDC, Akpabio had said federal lawmakers were the biggest beneficiaries of the contracts awarded by the agency.

The beneficiaries according to report in the online publication, SaharaReporters include a judge, former governors, All Progressives Congress chieftains, traditional rulers, top government officials, senior police officers, army officers and EFCC officials.

The document also contains project descriptions, local government areas, proposed contractors, contact details (including phone numbers), project sources and dates of award.

Akpabio, who stated that the investigating committee on NDDC refused to give him room to explain further, said, “It has always been known that the two chairmen of the committees on NDDC in both chambers yearly exhibit unusual influence to the exclusion of committee members and even the management of NDDC in appropriating funds to details embellished in the budget after passage of the line items at the plenaries.

“To show you some typical examples, herewith attached are documents showing nature of contracts, amount of such contracts (in some cases), date of awards and beneficiaries some were awarded to the two chairmen of both Committees in the House of Representatives and the Senate respectively serving at the period of the awards (Annexures ‘B’, ‘C’, and ‘D’).
“However, due to the 48 hours’ notice the forensic auditors could not sift through the thousands of files in their possession to provide more.

“Some of the members listed in the letter are from Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Ondo, Imo, as well as unnamed ‘Caucus in the House of Representatives.”

Also listed by the minister as beneficiaries of the multi-billion naira NDDC contracts are TC/COP Villa/MD, who got several contracts for undisclosed amounts; AIG Operations, Abuja, who got contracts worth N186,771,348.75, while DIG/Ochei got contract worth N349,976,919.86; CSO/CNC got contract worth N150,342,858.75; Godwin Udoidiong for undisclosed amount; George Moghalu National Auditor/EDP also got contracts worth N198,397,145.63; EDP/Giadom contract worth N663,155,999.63; while Justice Nnamdi Dimgha of the FHC got contract worth N249,555,206.25.

Meanwhile, about 30 members would be appearing before the Committee on Ethics and Privileges over the allegations bothering on execution of over N100bn in the controversial 2018 emergency projects awarded by the NDDC.

This followed a directive by Gbajabiamila when he referred the letter by Akpabio to the House committee for further investigation.