The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has linked two former Governors of Delta State, James Ibori and Emmanuel Uduaghan, to the various contracts awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission, The PUNCH is reporting.
The list of beneficiaries was contained in a letter Akpabio sent to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on July 23, 2020, the highly credible newspaper is reporting.
Others listed by Akpabio included the Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, and Senator Ifeanyi Ararume.
The letter, which was also copied to the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, was addressed to the Clerk to the House, Patrick Giwa, with Reference Number: MNDA/HM/04/IV/158.
It was titled: “Some Niger Delta Development Commission Contracts Allegedly Given to Some Members of the National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives).”
The emergency repairs projects linked to them, according to the document, obtained by The PUNCH, were awarded in 2018 at a cost ranging from N400 million and N560 million each.
One of the projects linked to Ibori was the emergency repairs of Onoghove community road from Ajanesan to Western Delta University at a cost of N485.7 million.
Uduaghan was linked to the emergency repairs of Close B, Alhaji Estate & Environs, Rumuodomaya, Port Harcourt, Rivers State at a cost of N429 million.
Five projects were linked to Kalu, who was simply identified in the document as OUK-Kalu (the project source).
The emergency repairs on roads projects linked to Kalu are in Abia State and the costs ranged from N517 million to N560 million.
The details are Emergency repairs of Ezere-Acha-Ndiokoukwu Road (N517.9 million) and repairs of Amaubiri-Eluama-Uru Ring Road, Lokpaukwu, Umuchieze (N560 million).
Others linked to Kalu are Ndi Oji Abam-Atan Road (N523.7 million), Okafia-Ozuitem-Bende road (N508 million) and the Ozu-Amuru-Abam Road at the cost of N523.4 million.
The cost of the 12 projects linked to Ararume, located in Imo and Rivers States, were not indicated in the documents.
The NDDC document, however, listed some the projects to include emergency repairs of Umuelemai-Aba branch road, Anara-Okwelle-Umuna Road and Okpara-Road junction-Ogili Community, all in Imo State.