The Movement for the Development of the Niger Delta Region (MOFOND) has called on the National Assembly to refrain from further intimidation and harassment of the Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Prof. Kemebradikume Pondei.
This is as the group thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for allegedly releasing N20 billion for the completion of the East-West Road.
In a statement jointly signed by the national leader and coordinator, Idongesit Ituen and Jimmy Edemekong, respectively, the group said it had watched with keen interest the ongoing probe of the finances of the NDDC by the National Assembly and came to the conclusion that it was a calculated attempt to smear Akpabio’s integrity and distract him from taking the Niger Delta out of the woods with sterling performance, which he had already started with the forensic audit exercise.
MOFOND called on Buhari to ignore the recommendation by the National Assembly to take the NDDC away from the Niger Delta Ministry and return the same to the Presidency.
This, it said, was a clear attempt to undermine the choice of Mr. President who carefully appointed Akpabio as a supervising minister of the NDDC, based on his track record of transforming Akwa Ibom State during his tenure as governor.
“It should be stated here that the malfeasance in the NDDC did not occur during the time of Akpabio and so he does not deserve all the embarrassment given to him by the investigative panel of the National Assembly.
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“We call on NASS to direct its energy to such areas like the NNPC, Humanitarian Ministry, NPA and other such government institutions, agencies and Commissions where corruption walks on two legs.
“The NDDC probe has caused enough distraction to the Commission and by extension has impacted negatively on the Niger Delta region generally.
“While we cannot condone corruption in whatever shape or form, we call on the leadership of the National Assembly to, as a matter of national importance, probe all the members of both chambers involved in the contract racketeering in the NDDC”.
Ituen said since Akpabio had submitted names of lawmakers who collected contracts from the NDDC and submitted same to the Senate, the onus was on the leadership of both the House of Representatives and the Senate to probe such lawmakers, especially those who failed to carry out the projects to specifications, though contract sums were paid in full.
“We have it on good authority that one lawmaker collected about 1,000 jobs from the NDDC and promised to share the same among other senators. Money for these jobs were paid in full, yet, nothing to show for it. The National Assembly must come to equity with clean hands. The House must probe itself.
“As a group, we want to let Nigerians know that if the National Assembly continues with the so-called probe of the NDDC, we will not hesitate to stage a peaceful protest and occupy the Assembly Complex in Abuja until the right thing is done by allowing the commission to concentrate on its task of transforming the impoverished Niger Delta region.
“While we pass a vote of confidence on Senator Godswill Akpabio, Professor Daniel Kemedrakumo Pondei and President Muhammadu Buhari in their determination to sanitise the NDDC, we call on the leadership of the National Assembly to stop further distraction of the management of the commission,” he said.
