Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio received a N300million contract from the Niger Delta Development Commission for the fencing of Federal Polytechnic Ukana, Akwa Ibom, (N200m), and Federal Government College, Ikot Ekpene (N100m) which he failed to execute, odunews.com reports.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, disclosed that the former Senate Minority leader collected contracts worth N500 million from NDDC without execution and yet cash-backed.
VANGUARD quoted the Senator Nwaboshi as saying: “in a letter dated August 7, 2017, addressed to the Chairman, Senate Committee on NDDC, Akpabio requested that five projects worth N500 million be added to the budget.
“Akpabio as Minority Leader of the Senate then used his office to include projects not budgeted for in the Appropriation bill.”
The projects as clearly stated in the letter, include, fencing the Federal Polytechnic Ukana, Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District at the cost of N200 million. Fencing of Federal Government College, Ikot Ekpene (Old site) Akwa North-West Senatorial District. Entrepreneurship training on the use of modern farming implement- Youths in Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District at the cost of N75 million.
“Entrepreneurship training on the use of modern farming implement- Women in Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District at the cost of N75 million. Renovation of one hostel facility at the University of Nsukka, Nsukka Campus at the cost of N50 million.
“Findings show that while there was no physical evidence of implementation of these projects, checks show contracts were awarded and fully paid for. Such practices have turned the region to sites of abandoned projects,” Nwaoboshi lamented.
The documents further revealed that similar contracts collections without execution were carried out on NDDC by Akpabio in 2016 and in 2018, VANGUARD reports.
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