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Two former governors of Delta State, James Ibori and Emmanuel Uduaghan, have been linked to the various contracts awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Others on the lists submitted to the Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, on July 23, by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio are the Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, and Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, among others.
When he appeared before the House committee investigating the NDDC, the minister had claimed most of the commission’s contracts were awarded to federal lawmakers.
The Speaker, Gbajabiamila, asked him to name the beneficiaries of the contracts or be sued, after which Akpabio revealed the identity of the lawmakers.
According to The Punch, the emergency repairs projects linked to them were awarded in 2018 at a cost which range from N400 million and N560 million each.
One of the projects linked to Ibori, was the emergency repairs of Onoghove community road from Ajanesan to Western Delta University at a cost of N485.7 million.
Uduaghan was linked to the emergency repairs of Close B, Alhaji Estate & Environs, Rumuodomaya, Port Harcourt at a cost of N429 million.
Five projects were linked to Kalu, who was simply identified in the document as OUK-Kalu (the project source).
The emergency repairs on roads projects linked to Kalu are in Abia State and the costs ranged from N517 million to N560 million.
The details are Emergency repairs of Ezere-Acha-Ndiokoukwu Road (N517.9 million) and repairs of Amaubiri-Eluama-Uru Ring Road, Lokpaukwu, Umuchieze (N560 million).
Others linked to Kalu are Ndi Oji Abam-Atan Road (N523.7 million), Okafia-Ozuitem-Bende road (508 million), and the Ozu-Amuru-Abam Road at the cost of N523.4 million.
The cost of the 12 projects linked to Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, located in Imo and Rivers states, were not indicated in the documents.
The NDDC document, however, listed some the projects to include, emergency repairs of Umuelemai-Aba branch road, Anara-Okwelle-Umuna Road, Okpara-Road junction-Ogili Community all in Imo State.