Omo-Agege - "I didn't ask EFCC to prosecute Akpabio"

Omo-Agege Ovie, who is the Deputy President of the Senate, has called a letter purportedly written on his behalf by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Nelson Ayewoh, fake.

The letter began to make rounds on the various social media platforms since Sunday morning, and was allegedly written by the Clerk on Omo-Agege’s behalf to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu.

According to the discredited letter, Omo-Agege allegedly urged the EFCC boss to commence investigation on the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, over allegations of corruption levelled against him.

The National Assembly is currently probing allegations that the Interim Management Committee of the NDDC, allegedly mismanaged N40bn in three months and had demanded written explanations from Akpabio, whose Ministry supervises the activities of the intervention agency.

But Omo-Agege, through a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yomi Odunuga, denied asking the Senate Clerk to write any letter to the EFCC Chairman.

Describing the document as fake, the DSP insisted that he never instructed the Clerk or any other person to contact the EFCC to investigate any individual. Part of the statement read, 

“The attention of the Office of the Deputy President of the Senate has been drawn to a letter dated 7th May, 2020, purportedly written by the Clerk of the Senate acting on behalf of the Office of Deputy President of the Senate requesting the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate and monitor the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and one other.

This Office hereby states that the said letter is false, fake, malicious, mischievous and vexatious. This Office never instructed the Clerk of the Senate, or in fact any person, to write to or contact the EFCC in relation to any person.

In the light of the foregoing, we wish to urge the public to disregard the fake letter, same being the handiwork of a person or persons with criminal intents."

Senator Nwaoboshi accuses Akpabio of getting N300m contract from NDDC

The chairman of senate committee on Niger Delta, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi has accused the minister of Niger Delta affairs, Godswill Akpabio of being awarded a N300 million fence construction contract from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

It was gathered that while Akpabio was still the senator representing Akwa Ibom north-west in 2017, he requested for a N500 million contract from the NDDC. 

Subsequently, Akpabio was reportedly awarded the contract of fencing Federal Polytechnic Ukana, Akwa Ibom (N200 million), and Federal Government College, Ikot Ekpene (N100 million).

We also gathered that Akpabio got N150 million for entrepreneurship training on the use of modern farming implements for youths and women of Akwa Ibom north-west senatorial district and N50 million for the renovation of a hostel at University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu state.

In an interview with journalists, Senator Nwaoboshi said that the contracts have been fully paid for but there was nothing to show for it. He said, 

“Findings show that while there was no physical evidence of implementation of these projects, checks show contracts were awarded and fully paid for. Such practices have turned the region to sites of abandoned projects.”