NDDC: AKPABIO MUST BE SANCTIONED FOR DECEIVING THE FEDERAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL TO BREACH PROCUREMENT ACT

The Transparency and Accountability Advancement Group, an advocate group that is concerned about the ongoing situation in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sanction his Minister in charge of the Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Goodwill Akpabio.

The group, in a statement issued in Abuja, the nation's capital, said the call on Mr. President to sanction the former Akwa Ibom state governor became necessary followed what they describes as misleading.

The statement which was signed by Ebi Arogbofa, Director of Strategy and Information of the Transparency and Accountability Advancement Group, said; 

"We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to sanction Chief Godswill Akpabio for misleading the Federal Executive Council to breach the Procurement Act of 2007 at least twice by approving memos and expenditures for items in the NDDC for which there were no budgetary provisions".

"These matters have come to light in the wake of the revelations from the ongoing National Assembly investigations into illegal and fraudulent expenditures by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Godswill Akpabio, and the Interim Management Committee of the NDDC, and they speak to  culture of gross incompetence and disregard for law that no serious government should condone".

"Specifically, on Friday, July 11, the immediate past Acting Managing Director Ms Joy Nunieh, told the Senate Adhoc Committee investigating the IMC that Chief Akpabio took a memo to the Federal Executive Council without going through the laid down process as prescribed in the Public Procurement Act".

"According to Nunieh, she refused to go along with Akpabio when he took a memo to the Federal Executive Council meeting for the approval of the sum of N318 million for a certain Olumuyiwa Bashiru and Co as lead consultant since it was predicated on the NDDC budget, which has not been passed into law at that time, because doing so carries a five years imprisonment without an option of fine".

"In her own words, "So if I had gone with him to deceive the president I would have been in trouble." She further stated that Akpabio went ahead to get the approval in breach of the Procurement Act because by the provisions of the Act, all contract approvals must be predicated on prior approved budgets.

"Again, Akpabio got the Federal Executive Council on June 10 to approve yet another memo in the sum of N1.599 billion for the purchase of vehicles for the NDDC, also in breach of the Procurement Act. What this means is that at the time the memo was presented by Akpabio in June, the NDDC had no approved budget in force because the 2019 budget expired on May 31st and the 2020 budget had not been considered by the National Assembly, even up till now because the IMC has been unable to explain how the 2019 budget was spent.

In essence, Akpabio in both instances, got the Federal Executive Council to commit an illegality in contravention of the country's Procurement laws. These are patently criminal acts that Akpabio has committed the Federal Executive Council into. The minister brought his legendary executive recklessness from his time as Governor to the federal government. He clearly has no place in a civil lawful administration.

The disregard for the Procurement Act and other laws continues in Akpabio's crass disregard for due process and law as has become clear from the revelations at the Senate public hearing. It is the same way the minister advised that the NDDC Act of 2000 be set aside to accommodate an illegal Interim Management Committee, which has proven to be a fraudulent contraption.

Chief Akpabio has no place in an Administration that lays claim to law, due process and progressive policies. He should be shown the way out and the Buhari administration should reset the button on law and order. He should be summarily dismissed from the Executive Council of the Federation and prosecuted for willfully committing the government to illegalities.