Former U.S. Army Captain, slams Buhari over extension of NDDC’s IMC tenure despite corruption allegations

Godsgift Onyedinefu

President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to extend the tenure of the Interim Management Committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), despite alleged ongoing corruption perpetrated by the committee has been condemned by a former United States (US) Army Captain, Bish Johnson.

Following it’s renewal, several allegations of corruption have since rocked NDDC’ IMC, Godswill Akpabio, minister Niger delta affairs have also been accused of using NDDC to loot funds meant for the development of the Niger delta, through fraudulent contracts.

Johnson, who is also a rights activist, said President Buhari’s decision is ill- adviced and has by this action demonstrated a complete disregard of due process by his continued support of a committee which most people from the Niger Delta and Nigeria in general believe is not only corrupt, but illegal

“I am dismayed by the statement credited to Mr Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity) that my highly respected president, Mohammadu Buhari has extended the tenure of an illegal, corrupt and discriminatory IMC of the NDDC,” he said.

In a statement issued on Friday, the retired Army captain recalled that few days ago, the media was awashed with allegations of corruption in the award of contracts to various companies believed to be connected to Akpabio and members of his Interim Management Committee.

“At the root of these scandals were three companies, Osmoserve Global Limited, Signoria Concept Services Limited and Rodnab, Godswill Akpabio’s surrogate that was awarded a contract to complete the NDDC headquarters building without public advertisement and bidding and in complete violation of the Public Procurements Act. Rodnab has since been fully paid in the amount of N16 billion while the contract is yet to be completed,” he said.

Johnson further disclosed that despite huge budgetary allocations to the commission, there a still several of abandoned projects across the region.

He therefore called for a total, complete and thorough overhaul of the ministry and an immediate and urgent independent forensic auditing of its financial records and activities since its establishment.

Johnson also urged Buhari to as a matter of urgency bring order to the NDDC and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs by disbanding the IMC, constituting and inaugurating a legally recognized hoard of the NDDC

The statement read in part, “Stakeholders in the Niger Delta and around the country continue to question the rationale in the president not constituting and inaugurating a new NDDC board that can still carryout an effective forensic audit of the financial records of the Commission yet reflect and represent all nine Niger Delta states instead of an Interim body that perpetuates the systemic discrimination against the Igbos.

“I want to believe that the action of Mr President is not a well calculated design by the Deep State in Aso Rock to compromise the forensic audit ordered by Mr President by placing the minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio incharge of such an important exercise that requires men and women with unquestionable character and high degree of integrity. It should be noted that Mr Akpabio himself has been a major player in the commission over the last 19 years since it was established. As Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio nominated a chairman, a managing director and several state representatives to the NDDC board between 2007 and 2015, and influenced others too. Given that the commission has been a cash cow for most of the governors including Godswill Akpabio through his nominees, I wonder what transparency he, Akpabio can bring to the Commission when his own ministry, the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs is long over due for an independent forensic audit in view of the incalculable damage it has inflicted on the Niger Delta and its people with tenths of hundreds of its projects abandoned all over the region despite huge budgetary and financial commitments the federal government has over the years made in that ministry.

“One wonders why Chief Godswill Akpabio since becoming the minister of Niger Delta Affairs has not commented on the activities of his ministry, issued any queries, ordered any mandatory leave or early retirement to even his own civil servants, directors, permanent secretaries and bureaucrats who have made sure the ministry since its inception is yet to commission any project it has completed, instead he has focused and directed all his time, energy and resources on a statutorily established institution outside his sphere of control. Could be that he, Akpabio has an ulterior motives benign to Nigerians?

“To buttress my case here is a
list of a few of abandoned projects by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Volume1:

1) THE INFAMOUS EAST-WEST ROAD
2) CONSTRUCTION AND DUALIZATION OF OWERRI-PORTHARCOURT ROAD
3) CONSTRUCTION OF AZUNMINI UKWA ROAD, ABIA STATE
4) CONSTRUCTION OF SKILLS ACQUISITION CENTER AT ABAEZI, EGBEMA IN OHAJI-EGBEMA LGA OF IMO STATE
5) CONSTRUCTION OF UMUAGWO HOUSING ESTATE AT UMUAGWO, OHAJI IN OHAJI-EGBEMA LGA OF IMO STATE
6) CONSTR. OF OKPUHUTA MBANO JUNCTION ORIE MARKET – LOMARA -IGWEBULKA (35KM) ABIA STATE.
7) LAND RECLAMATION PROJECT AT OGUDU ABIA PHASE 1 ABIA STATE.
8) IDORO EASTERN ITAM WATER SUPPLY SCHEME AKWA IBOM STATE.
9) CONSTR OF MBAK ATAI IKOT NTU MKPETI OKUIBOKU ROAD PROJECT (13.86KM) AKWA IBOM STATE
10) UKPARAM WATER SUPPLY AND CONSTR AND SUPERVISION OF OMELEMA AGADA II ROAD (14.42KM) RIVERS STATE.
11) CALABAR SKILLS ACQUISITION CENTRE CROSS RIVER STATE
12) BOMADI TUOMO SKILLS ACQUISITION CENTRE DELTA…AND OTHER SKILLS ACQUISITION CENTRES SPREAD AMONGST THE NIGER DELTA STATE

“The above list is a tip of the iceberg hence my call for a total, complete and thorough overhaul of the ministry and an immediate and urgent independent forensic auditing of its financial records and activities since its establishment.

‘The Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs has been held hostage since its inception by civil servants, directors, permanent secretaries, bureaucrats and their collaborators most of whom are politicians and moneybags who award, issue and divert inflated contracts meant for the oil producing communities to their own communities with zero history and evidence of oil activities, fraudulent payments and padding of emergency jobs which they award to their own companies through some of their cronies and proxies.

“In 2019, bureaucrats and civil servants in the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs colluded with politicians and moneybags, and sold 22 projects allocated to Imo State outside the only two oil producing local government areas of Ohaji-Egbema and Oguta on whose instance Imo State is considered a niger delta state.

“However, I have fate in my president and I believe he wants to do well for my region, unfortunately, my President is surrounded by a bunch of bureaucrats, corrupt civil servants and politicians with long, entrenched and deep-rooted interest in the system who have decided to constitute themselves into a Deep State bent on rubbishing this administration to achieve their selfish interests.

“These evidences of large scale corruption in the ministry of Niger Delta Affairs headed by Chief Godswill Akpabio make mockery of anti corruption fight in the NDDC being championed by Chief Godswill Akpabio and his corrupt Interim Management Committee. Corruption cannot fight corruption, it only begets corruption. The case of Akpabio and his Interim Management Committee being asked to champion anti corruption crusade is tantamount to the case of a goat being asked to keep custody of some yams.

“I therefore urge my president, President Mohammadu Buhari to as a matter of urgency bring order to the NDDC and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs by disbanding the IMC, constituting and inaugurating a legally recognized board of the NDDC and immediately and urgently set up an independent forensic audit of foreign experts to audit the financial records and activities of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.”

Bish Johnson is a former US Army Captain, a national commentator and a rights activist.