Groups in the Niger Delta region have called on Nigerians, particularly Niger Deltans, to disregard what it described as ‘baseless propaganda peddled against the Interim Management Committee, IMC, of the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC under the supervision of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio’.
It would be recalled that a group branded as Ijaw Intellectual Advocates had accused the IMC of having defrauded the people of the region under the guise of purchasing COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and sanitizers via the award of a contract to Signora Concepts Services Limited at the sum of N5, 474,647,125.00 which was never delivered to any community under the nine states making up the region. The group through its President, Comrade Austin Ojobo had also alleged that the company received the sum from NDDC through the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to procure the equipment describing the contract as fraudulent.
But in a joint statement issued in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, certain groups across the Niger Delta region dismissed the allegation as merely orchestrated to disrupt the ongoing Forensic Audit embarked upon by the interventionist agency. The statement which was jointly signed by its conveners, Comr. Peter Essien (President, Niger Delta Watchdog for Good Governance) and Comr. Basil Bob-Manuel (Co-ordinator, United Peoples Front) noted that: “It is interesting to observe that immediately the Acting MD, Prof. Kemebradekimo Pondei made the announcement of an invitation to the EFCC to join in the Audit process, we saw petitions alleging fraud, quoting bogus sums as well as calling for the removal of the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.
“This is a clear agenda by those who fear the outcome of the Forensic Audit moreso with the invitation of the EFCC
The group queried that with the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic, it only stood to reason for a responsive interventionist agency to commit resources in the fight to prevent the spread of the virus.
As an interventionist agency, it is the primary mandate of the NDDC to complement the federal government in areas requiring swift interventions as presented by the present COVID-19 pandemic which has held the entire world to a standstill.
“Present records show that the virus is spreading to the Niger Delta region at an alarming rate. To therefore argue that the NDDC does not have such powers to intervene in the present crisis is rather unpatriotic and at best, a heartless ploy to sacrifice the lives of the Niger Delta people on the altar of politics.
They further stated that: “Assuming but not conceding that such a contract was indeed awarded by the IMC, failure of the company to deliver the PPE to communities of the Niger Delta region would amount to a breach of contract at best and not the concocted fraud allegation being peddled against the IMC.
“We therefore urge all stakeholders of the Niger Delta region to cast politics aside and join the IMC as well as the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs to combat this severe virus as it respects neither party affiliations nor ethnicity, they added.