By John Ugo
The Ijaw Youth Council on Friday urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate how a whopping sum of N20bn was paid to ghost contractors for the execution of ghost distilling contract by management of the Niger Delta Development Commission.
The Council cried out to President Muhammadu Buhari to suspend the Interim Administrator of the NDDC, Effiong Akwa, in order to facilitate the process for a thorough probe of the illegal deal.
The body said that the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Godswill Akpabio, whose office supervises the NDDC should make explanations to the region.
The huge sum was said to have been paid for phoney distilling contracts which was purportedly awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Spokespereon for the IYC, Ebilade Ekerefe, made the allegation in Yenagoa the Bayelsa state capital
He alleged that the non existent NDDC contractors were paid between N300m and N400m which amounted to N20bn, in the last three months.
The IYC stated that information available to it revealed that signatures of a former acting Managing Director of the NDDC, Professor Nelson Brambaifa, and that of a former executive director (projects) of the commossion, Samuel Ajugbe, were allegedly forged in order to perfect the fraud.
According to the IYC Spokesman, thugs were hired thugs to chase away protesting contractors.
Ekerefe noted that the ugly deal had vindicated Niger Delta youths who had expressed mistrust over the suspicious manner the minister handled the forensic audit of the NDDC and the reluctance of Buhari to constitute a substantive board for the interventionist agency.
“President Muhammadu Buhari should rise up to this occasion and clear the “corruption” toga tied around his administration due to the numerous unresolved high profile fraud cases allegedly perpetuated by Ministers under his administration.”
