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The Nigeria Voters Assembly ( VOTAS) has expressed its sadness on the “disgusting reports” from the activities of the Interim Management Committee ( IMC) which superintend over the alleged frauds and unethical practices in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), calling for the immediate dissolution of the IMC and sack or suspension of Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
In a statement signed by the president and and convener of VOTAS, Comrade Mashood Erubami on Friday, the group, which is a principal anti-corruption, human rights and pro democracy outfit, described the unwholesome actions and unethical activities of some officials of the NDDC as a very shameful reflection of the realism behind the region’s retardation in terms of development, exposing again, the attitude of some politicians from the region as very greedy and selfish.
Erubami condemned in very strong terms,the indefensible actions of key officers of the IMC, describing it as very shameful and a serious disservice to join hands to sipho billions of naira appropriated for the growth and development of the region within five months in office as against the goal orientation of apportioning the stolen fund .
“We condemned the shameful submissions of the Minister in charge of Niger Delta Ministry, the counter allegations of Mrs Joy Nunieh and the Acting Managing Director, Professor Daniel Pondei for alleged superintending over sleaze money, reducing their appointment to sharing money designed for developmental projects into their individual purses as personal gains through sharp stealing, using phony contracts which had left the region underdeveloped and poverty ridden,” said.
The statement also chastised the National Assembly’s Principal Officers for the criminal roles they were alleged to have played which led some of them to recluse from chairmanship of the investigating committee on the huge corruption being perpetrated by the IMC within the few months they came into office, which have led to the siphoning of billions of naira appropriated for development but which has stylishly been turned into a conduit pipes for milking the Niger Delta dry.
“The testimonies from Senator Akpabio, Mrs Joy Nunieh, together with the fainted Professor Pondei amounted to nothing except further exacerbating the corrupt situation in the committee, leaving nobody in doubt about the alleged unveiled conspiracy among the trio as key suspects and some alleged National Assembly Principal Officers,” Erubami said.
The group also noted that the indictment of some of the National Assembly Officers involved presently in the tracking of the developmental projects in the Niger Delta region, call for immediate setting up of an enlarged judicial panel of inquiry covering the periods beyond the past audits starting from the Musa Yar’adua and Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to find out if it was their template of accountability that the IMC used.
It, therefore, suggested that the term of reference should include; identifying the people behind all the fraudulent expenditures contained in the audited report on the IMC activities, the roles each of them played, establishing criminal offences against their actions, setting them for diligent prosecution and appropriate sentences if found criminally culpable.
“President Muhammadu Buhari should shrug out of personal pursuit of anti corruption war, exhibit very strong courage to extend the period covered by the enquiry, if he is to be trusted as being capable and in control of government and to control unethical practices under his administration and leave a good legacy behind after his tenure.
“Whosever is found to be corrupt, however highly placed, should be put in the context of appropriate prosecution and sentenced heavily in accordance with relevant laws, where they are found culpable, only the strict enforcement of law can put a stop to the glibly breaking of laws to serve the people.
“Those that have been found guilty in the past for personalisation of public funds, including money laundering must never be allowed to come near the government or be given the chance to correct their errors through another fraudulent rehearing laxity to be free by another judicial corruption fightback,” Erubami said.
He called on President Buhari to either suspend or sack Senator Akpabio immediately, to allow deeper investigations into the weighty allegation against him and the agency which he supervises.
“Ordinarily, Senator Akpabio should not have been made a part of the the Ministry that he oversees, it’s so much important and strategic and given suspicion that he might not have been cleared cleaned during his tenure as governor of Akwa Ibom. Buhari administration which is government of change and reform, should not have made him a part of it in order not to send a strong signal that the President might not meant his promise not to hand over government to worst politicians that might sell the country to dollar magnates !!
“Akpabio should do the honourable thing by tendering his letter of resignation to the President, if nothing but for watching negligently to have allowed billions of Niger Delta region’s money to be so recklessly diverted while his people and region sojourn in abject poverty,” he added.