Some contractors who executed road projects in Abia, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Rivers States have alleged that they are being owed by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The contractors, who identified themselves as members of NNDC Contractors have also appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Minister of Niger Delta, God’swill Akpabio and the administrator of the NDDC, Mr. Akwa Effiong over massive corruption in the NDDC.
Speaking on Thursday at a media briefing held in Abuja, Mr. Johnson Sekibo spokesman of the group, said they would resume their protest across the Niger Delta region and Abuja if they are not paid by May 1.
Sekibo said the non-payment of the debt has left many of the contractors in “acute penury and poverty”, because most of them had to borrow money at high interest rate to execute contracts for the commission.
“We are calling on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, to urgently investigate the activities of the interim administrator of the NDDC, Mr. Akwa Effiong and the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, God’swill Akpabio, and possibly sack the duo for supervising massive corruption in the NDDC.
“We shall continue to request the NDDC to pay for services rendered creditably as competent and performing contractors of the NDDC, while frowning at situation where contractors will not be mobilised by the NDDC to execute projects, a situation where the contractors will borrow money from banks at high interest rates to execute projects, yet will be owed for five years and more without payment.
“We are in pains and describe the activities of the interim administrator of the NDDC, Akwa Effiong, and the minister of Niger Delta affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, as discouraging, devilish and an act of wickedness, noting that their action does not represent what Mr President stands for.
“Today, the duo of Akpabio and Akwa are not paying road contractors that executed visible projects but they are paying people that didn’t execute projects in the name of sand filling just to loot the resources of the Commission to fund the presidential ambition of Senator God’swill Akpabio,” the group said.
