NDDC Probe: What Commission’s Ex MD, Nunieh Told House Of Reps Panel

• Blames interim management committee, staff, others for rot in commission

• Makes damning allegations against Akpabio 

The embattled former acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Joy Nunieh, on Friday made another series of damming allegations against the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the interim management committee (IMC) of the commission.

Nunieh accused Akpabio of perpetrating plethora of illegalities, scoffing at the directives of President Muhammadu Buhari and also undermining the federal government.

You recall that a gang of mobile policemen had invaded Nunieh’s residence in GRA, Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital to arrest her, but the plan did not materialise because the police could break down the security door to the entrance of her room.

It took the intervention of the state governor, Nyesom Wike, for her to regain freedom as the governor freed her and took her to the state house where she’s seeking refuge.

It was alleged that the invasion, during which the policemen were seen in a viral video breaking the woman’s rear door to gain entry forcibly, was to prevent Nunieh from moving from Port Harcourt to Abuja to testify before the panel.

Also Read: ‘They Want To Destroy Rivers’ — Says Wike On Police Invasion Of Ex NDDC MD Home

Speaking on Friday when she appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on investigating allegations of grand larceny and malfeasance in NDDC, Nunieh accused Akpabio of hijacking the forensic audit of the NDDC ordered by President Buhari.

Nunieh, at the investigative hearing, alleged that the minister violated various laws in a bid to usurp the forensic audit.

Also Read: NDDC: Invasion Of Nunieh’s Residence Is Legal – Police

Nunieh, who attended the hearing and made her presentation via online video conference platform, Zoom, apologised for not showing up at the hearing on Thursday, “because what would have happened would have been that nobody would have known who took me away and only God knows what would have happened.”

She added, “This has been the modus operandi for enemies of the minister and ex-governor of Akwa Ibom State. You saw what happened yesterday, it was all about documents.”

When the panel chairman asked about the forensic audit ordered by Buhari, for which the IMC was constituted, Nunieh said, “What I met was not exactly what is going on. Akpabio insisted that he would supervise the forensic audit. I reminded him and showed him the letter that the President had written, that there is no way we could spend the money that was in our budget.

“In his memo to the President, he requested that the money for the funding of the forensic audit be got from the Service Wide Vote. Mr President, in his wisdom, refused that request and in writing said it should be from NDDC’s appropriation, making NDDC the producing entity.”

Nunieh also disclosed that auditors had not been appointed to conduct the audit as being claimed by Akpabio.

Also Read: NDDC Probe: Commotion As Commission’s Acting MD Walks Out On Reps

She said, “When I was there, I was the one who prepared all the documents for the forensic audit and sent in the applications. The first thing was for us to go through the procurement of the lead consultant. Many people have clearly misunderstood the procurement of the lead consultant. Because I did not want any illegality and the forensic audit to be discredited, I ensured – with the help of big consultants – we came up with the terms of reference for these auditors.

“The lead consultant that everyone is talking about is not the forensic auditor. He does not have a lot. The role of the lead consultant is to gather. When all the forensic auditors have got all the data and reports from the field, they will put them together and give to the lead consultant who will put them together in a report. That is just his role. He is not the one to carry out any forensic audit.

requires that for any consultant or contractor, must show evidence that for the past three years or thereabouts, they have carried out that.

The ex-NDDC boss challenged the minister and IMC to provide a proof that the fund being spent on auditors was appropriated by the National Assembly. According to her, the commission had obtained Certificate of No Objection from the Bureau of Public Procurement even when the 2020 budget of the NDDC had not been passed.

Also Read: Police Asks Gov Wike To Handover Ex-NDDC MD, Nunieh

She added, “It is a criminal offence to procure any consultant without the appropriation made by the National Assembly because it will be an anticipatory budgeting. In this case, has the National Assembly appropriated funds?”

She accused Akpabio of misleading the Federal Executive Council to approve the procurement of auditors even when the audit was to be funded with the 2020 budget of the NDDC.

Nunieh also stated that she spent a total of N8bn during her stay as acting MD between October 2019 and February 2020.

The NDDC is, however, said to have spent not less than N81.5bn in 2020 alone.

Nunieh alleged that Akpabio gave her a list of NDDC officials to be redeployed or sacked, including the only northerner in the management.

Also Read: [JUST IN] NDDC Probe: House Of Reps Summons Akpabio, Commission’s Acting MD

She recalled that October 28, 2019, on her way to the inauguration of the IMC at the boardroom of the Federal Ministry of Niger Delta, the minister threatened to see to her exit from office if she failed to do his bidding.

Nunieh alleged that Akpabio asked her to appoint 10 of her aides, as he did with Bernard Okumagba as MD of NDDC.

She also stated that two days after the inauguration, at the Le Meridien Hotel, at Akpabio’s first meeting with the IMC, the minister told her he wanted her to send some workers away.

She stated, “He said the first thing I would do is to write a letter to him – he gave me the draft, that I should put it on my letterhead. In that letter, I was supposed to write about most of the companies; Senator (Peter) Nwaboshi owned the 98 companies.

Also Read: Buhari Orders Speedy Investigation Into NDDC Corruption Scandal

“I never ever told the world that Senator Nwaboshi was the senator that was collecting the N1bn. The issue of the N1bn was different. I said ‘how can an individual be collecting N1bn every month?’ The case of Senator Nwaboshi is the case of the 98 files which I was supposed to write about.”

Speaking on the issue of employment, she stated that the minister had collected curricula vitae from “godfathers” and she made it known that the issue of employment was already an issue before she came as the Federal Character Commission that used to give NDDC the approval for employment stopped it because of the scandal.

She added, “I want to tell the world that I never did any employment. I never gave out a single contract from NDDC.

“I am not corrupt. No contractor can sit anywhere and say they gave me N10. And I can say before the world that I’m the most unpopular MD ever that came to NDDC. The money of the people of Niger Delta is blood money, I refused to touch it. Even when my friends were contractors, even when they claimed that they were owed monies, my instruction was that everybody should finish their jobs. Everybody saw contractors going back to site when I was the MD.

“I was privileged to see all the videos. For one job, five people would send me videos of completion – the same job, the same video – and I would just laugh.”

…blames interim management c’ttee, staff, others for rot in commission

Nunieh also blamed the IMC, NDDC workers and people of the Niger Delta for the rot in the commission.

She said, “The problems that you are investigating today have three major groups that are responsible for the things that have gone wrong in the NDDC. One group is the management, which is the IMC, and everybody is against the IMC. The second group is the staff of NDDC. And the third group, which I will start with, is the people of the Niger Delta.

“This story that we are all calling embarrassing cannot be complete without saying that the people of the Niger Delta region are responsible for what has happened – the frauds and corruption that have taken place in the NDDC.

“I’m speaking from a personal experience. As soon as the MD is appointed, people begin to rejoice and celebrate, not because they want you to do the right thing; not because they are interested in the development of the Niger Delta, they believe it is now their turn to eat out of the national cake.

Also Read: [JUST IN] NDDC Probe: House Of Reps Summons Akpabio, Commission’s Acting MD

“They are not interested in anything; all they wanted were like palliatives. That is why for those who did not harden their heart like me, they fell for this palliative matter and they started giving out. But because I was strong; because I always remember the case of Gani Fawehinmi; Fawehinmi fought for the masses of this country. When he said he wanted to contest an election, they were not there. I remember that I needed to stand properly.

“The second class is the staff. The staff members of NDDC are from the Niger Delta region. The contracts that have been awarded are from their communities. When I was appointed, I went from office to office; I sat in their offices and I told them, ‘You people are responsible for what has gone wrong in the zone.’ All the staff members have in their wards or local government areas projects. If every staff of NDDC takes up a project in their local government area and ensure that they are well delivered, we will not have these issues.

“Thirdly, the IMC; for the first time in the history of NDDC, no palliatives were given. I did not give out Christmas palliative. I was under pressure to bring N10bn – N1bn per state – but I refused. The youth were complaining that things were difficult and I said ‘the day I give you this money, you know I have started collecting your money.’ I never gave any Christmas bonus or palliative during my time. For the first time in the history of NDDC, NDDC worked throughout December. There was no break except on public holidays.”

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