The Senate Committee on the Niger Delta Affairs on Wednesday released documents to justify its allegations that the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, requested the inclusion of about N500m worth of projects in the NDDC 2017 budget.
The Chairman of the Senate panel on the NDDC, Peter Nwaoboshi, had last week alleged that Akpabio, who served in the 8th Senate, wrote to seek the leave of the panel to push his constituency projects through the Niger Delta Development Commission.
Nwaoboshi said he granted Akpabio’s request as Chairman of the Senate Committee during the 8th Senate.
However, Akpabio in a press statement on Tuesday, denied these allegations.
The National Assembly is currently investigating the Interim Management Committee of the NDDC over alleged “reckless spending” of N40bn, between January and April this year.
Although the Senate set up an ad hoc committee to probe the alleged scam, the NDDC panel members have been accused of corruption by the IMC.
The documents indicting Akpabio were released to journalists at the National Assembly on Wednesday.
One of the documents indicated that in August 2017, Akpabio, requested for projects worth N500m from the NDDC and suggested the fixed amount each of them would cost.
In the letter dated August 7, 2017, and addressed to the Chairman, Senate Committee on NDDC, Akpabio, as the then Minority Leader, requested that five projects worth N500m be included for him as part of the NDDC budget.
The projects include fencing the Federal Polytechnic Ukana, Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District (N200m); and fencing of the Federal Government College, Ikot Ekpene (Old site) Akwa North-West Senatorial District. (N100m)
Another is entrepreneurship training on the use of modern farming implement for youths in Aiwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District at the cost of N75m, among others.
