Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Godswill Akpabio has named some members of the National Assembly who were awarded contracts by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Former Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on the NDDC Nicholas Mutu who represents the Bomadi/Patani Federal Constituency of Delta State is among those linked by the minister with contracts.
Mutu was linked to 74 projects including various emergency road projects in Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Rivers states.
Mutu is currently facing charges of alleged abuse of office and fraud involving about N320 million at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Akpabio, however, did not specify if the lawmakers were directly awarded the contracts or they nominated the projects under their Zonal Intervention Projects, also known as constituency projects.
Also named by the minister is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi (Delta-North), with 53 projects, which included emergency repairs of Asue Street, Owa Phase 2; ldumuogbe Road via Ojemaye; Otolokpo College Road, Otolokpo; and the Police lshu Ani Ukwu Road, Issele Uku.
Others are Senator Matthew Urhoghide (Edo-South), six projects; James Manager (Delta-South), six projects; Samuel Anyanwu (Imo-West, 8th Senate), 19 projects; and others simply identified as Ondo and Edo Reps.
The minister, however, did not provide the cost of the projects listed against the lawmakers’ names, while the cost of contracts given to non-lawmakers had costs of various projects attached to them.
Akpabio also sent the list to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
The House had on Thursday resolved to sue Akpabio for alleged perjury and defamation of the parliament after he claimed before its committee on the NDDC during a hearing that lawmakers were awarded 60 per cent of contracts by the commission.
