NDDC – The House of Representatives has given the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, a 48-hour ultimatum to publish the names of members of the 9th National Assembly who got 60 percent of contracts from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, gave this directive while ruling on a matter of privileges moved by the minority leader, Ndudi Elumelu, during plenary on Tuesday.
Gbajabiamila said the minister should not only publish names of the benefitting lawmakers, but the companies and the contracts they have been executing.
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According to Speaker, Akpabio owes it as a duty to himself, the House Committee on Niger Delta, the people of Niger Delta and Nigerians to publish the names of lawmakers who got contracts from the NDDC.
The minister had on Monday, while appearing before the House of Representatives Committee on NDDC investigating financial malfeasance in the Commission, insisted that 60 percent of NDDC contracts are held by federal legislators.
“I have records to show that most of the NDDC contracts were given out to the National Assembly members. The two chairmen of both committees can explain to you,” Akpabio said on Monday.
NDDC
The Niger Delta Development Commission is a federal government agency established by Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo in the year 2000 with the sole mandate of developing the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria. In September 2008, President Umaru Yar’Adua announced the formation of a Niger Delta Ministry, with the Niger Delta Development Commission to become a parastatal under the ministry.[1] One of the core mandates of the Commission is to train and educate the youths of the oil-rich Niger Delta regions to curb hostilities and militancy while developing key infrastructure to promote diversification and productivity.
Source – https://businessday.ng/
