Sen. Akpabio (right) implicates high and mighty including James Ibori, Orji Kalu, Ifeanyi Araraume etc in NDDC contract heist
New facts on the list of beneficiaries of the contracts scandal at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) have emerged with the naming of former governors of Delta State, James Ibori and Emmanuel Uduaghan and others as beneficiaries of the rot in the intervention agency, which was set up to address the developmental needs of the Niger Delta.
Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio also linked the ex-governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu (who was recently released from a correctional centre) and a former senator, Ifeanyi Ararume among those who benefited from the NDDC contract bazaar. In his letter to the Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, the minister of the Niger Delta Affairs claimed that some of the contracts were awarded in 2018 at a cost that ranges from N400 million and N560 million each.
According to the document submitted by Akapbio, 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, while his cousin, Uduaghan, who took over from him as the governor of Delta State was linked to the emergency repairs of Close B, Alhaji Estate & Environs, Rumuodomaya, Port Harcourt at a cost of N429 million.
For the ex-Abia State was recently released from prison after the Supreme Court voided his conviction for corruption on technical ground, five projects were linked to him. He was simply listed in in the document as OUK-Kalu (the project source). He was said to have gotten contracts for the emergency repairs on road projects in Abia State and the costs ranged from N517 million to N560 million.
Breakdown on the projects includes the emergency repairs of Ezere-Acha-Ndiokoukwu Road, with a total cost of N517.9 million and repairs of Amaubiri-Eluama-Uru Ring Road, Lokpaukwu, Umuchieze with a total contract sum of N560 million. Other contracts linked to Kalu are Ndi Oji Abam-Atan Road worth N523.7 million, Okafia-Ozuitem-Bende road worth 508billion), and the Ozu-Amuru-Abam Road at the cost of N523.4 million.
The cost of the 12 projects linked to Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, located in Imo and Rivers states, was 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, Okpara-Road junction-Ogili Community all in Imo State.
