A former Managing Director of the Nigeria Delta Development Commission, Dr. Enyia Akwagaga, has been queried for awarding a contract for seven skills acquisition programmes such as tailoring and bread making for N6.4 billion.
The query was contained in a request for explanation letter dated August 5, 2020 to the former MD by the Executive Director of Projects, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh.
According to the query, the contract was awarded in August 2019 and by September of the same year, the former Managing Director had approved payment of N3.9 billion as 60 per cent payment for work done.
Akwagaga was given seven days within which to answer the query.
The query by Ojougboh said in part: “In September 2019, some of the companies engaged for the programme turned in their invoices requesting for payments 60% of the total contract sum claiming that they had achieved the first milestone activities of the programme, 60% of the total contract sum amounted to N3,900,000,0000.
“You recommended that the sums claimed be paid to the consultants when you had no reason to believe that the jobs were executed.
“You hereby requested to provide evidence to Management within 7 days showing how 60 percent of the contract sum in each of the 136 lots was due and payable as at the time you signed the recommendation.”