SENATOR Godswill Akpabio, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, and Mr Effiong Akwa, the Sole Administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission, have been summoned by the Senate’s Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions over the non-payment of N2.2 billion to contractors.
The committee said it was hearing petitions from Akom Survey Services Limited regarding the minister’s and the NDDC administrator’s alleged refusal to pay for a survey conducted in nine states under the commission, despite a N2.2 billion contract.
Senator Ayo Akinyelure, the committee’s chairman, stated yesterday that Akpabio and Akwa must appear before the panel by 2 p.m. on April 12, 2022.
While briefing journalists on the summons, Akinyelure stated that the committee had addressed many letters of invitation to the minister and the NDDC chairman in response to petitions against them, but that they had not answered or honored the invitations.
He said, “It should not be business as usual. Akpabio and the NDDC Sole Administrator must appear before the Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions Committee, failure of which will lead to issuance of warrant of arrest on them.
“The committee wants to believe that as far as the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs is concerned, breakdown in communication must have caused his non-appearance before the committee, because as a senator he should know the implication of that.
“This press briefing is being done to solve the perceived communication breakdown between the committee and his office. If our letters are not delivered to him, he will read and hear about the invitation in the media.”
According to Akinyelure, the petitioners, who represent seven separate companies, complained in their petitions that non-payment for services performed was putting them into insolvency due to unsustainable interest rates on bank loans.
The lawmaker said, “Aside from the N2.2bn contract yet to be paid to the seven companies by NDDC, there is an outstanding of N6.25bn contracts yet to be paid to affected companies and a N2.5bn job racketeering scandal.”
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