Blackmail, threats won’t stop NDDC probe – Reps

The House of Representatives on Tuesday declared that blackmail, smear campaign and threats wouldn’t stop the planned probe of allegations leveled against the interim management committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Chairman, House Committee on NDDC, Rep. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the vow at a press briefing in Abuja, while responding to allegations by Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, the NDDC Executive Director, Projects.

Rep. Tunji-Ojo, who dismissed Ojougboh’s allegations as false and aimed at blackmailing the House to stop the probe, denied that any member of the committee or House has executed projects awarded by the NDDC management.

“It’s laughable because the interim management committee came into being in October 2019, a month after I became the chairman of this committee.

“The same Ojougboh said that they have not awarded a single contract since they came on board, so how were the trillions of naira contracts awarded?

“This is just sheer blackmail. I expected it from the onset when the investigation process started and the bottom line is that we are not going to be cowed.

“I have to say this; this is coming after threats to my life by militants through different text messages, calls and other means. The threats have failed.

“So the next agenda to stop the legislative work is blackmail. And I can say it categorically, we are more determined to work for the people of Niger Delta more than ever before,” the House committee chairman stated. 

He asserted that the National Assembly does not award contracts, but observed that Ojougboh, who accused him of getting multi-billion naira contracts from the NDDC had denied that the interim management committee had awarded contracts since its inauguration in October 2019.

“I’m surprised that anybody will award a job that is not in the budget and I’m surprised about that, and I’ve gone through the 2019 budget as approved and I can tell you point blank that in the budget there’s no provision; there is nothing like emergency training in the 2019 budget.

“Nothing like that. I don’t know what he’s talking about. And I’ve said it before and let me repeat for the umpteenth time, I do not have a single contract in NDDC.

“They started with a 17 km road contract which they couldn’t substantiate and they’ve come up with another thing.

“Only God knows what else they will come up with again. I don’t have any contract in NDDC; I have never been a contractor to NDDC. I’ve never worked for NDDC and I’ve never been paid by NDDC for anything.

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“So, I’m the chairman of this committee by the grace of God. I know the responsibilities on.my shoulder and I know that the Niger Delta people is looking up to us for succour.

“The Niger Delta is looking up to us for intervention and for help. We will not mortgage the future of the Niger Delta people for the sake of our today. That will never happen.

“I don’t have a contract and I repeat it again, l don’t have a contract! And it is an indictment on their part if they claimed that there was an award for an unbudgeted item, that is a serious offence that I think the National Assembly must look into,” Rep. Tunji-Ojo stated.

Commenting on the allegation of budget padding, the lawmaker revealed that the House and indeed, the National Assembly reduced the proposed NDDC budget from N409.883 billion to N346.388 billion in line with the revenue projection submitted by the agency.

He accused the NDDC management of inflating the budget by N63 billion.