NDDC: Let's Not Be Distracted By The Drama Between Chief Godswill Akpabio and Dr Joi Nunieh

“Let us please stay focused on the real issues; the reckless abuse of office, total and complete disregard of due processes to divert, misappropriate, misapply and embezzle tens of billions in NDDC”…. Bish Johnson.

 

The National Assembly probe, particularly that of the House of Representatives Committee on NDDC is yielding fruits already. The revelations on how tens of billions of our money was spent on frivolities are coming out.

While Mr. Akpabio and Madam Nunieh are busy going at it, let us please not be distracted instead let's remain focused on the main issues; the diversion, misappropriation, misapplication and outright embezzlement of tens of billions of naira allocated by the Federal Government for the development of the Niger Delta Region.

Let us not allow the duo of Akpabio and Nunieh to distract us by diverting our attention to their sexual harassment claims, slap given in return and who had married the most husbands and who had the most girlfriends. 

Let us please stay focused on the real issues; the reckless abuse of office, total and complete disregard of due processes to divert, misappropriate, misapply and embezzle tenths of billions in NDDC.

Let us really understand the issue at NDDC beyond the melodrama of sexual harassment, the slap allegedly doled out by Madam Nunieh on Akpabio's face, who married the most husbands and who has had the most girlfriends who supplied diesel to the NDDC.

The real issue is that, an Interim Management Committee of the NDDC led by Chief Godswill Akpabio and managed by Prof K. Pondei, the man who walked out of the House of Representatives Committee on NDDC probe so he and eternal liar, Cairo Ojougboh would not answer any questions did the following:

1. Spent N81.5 billion as sundry expenses, including graduation ceremonies in the United Kingdom during lockdown.

2. Spent N3.14 billion for COVID-19 palliatives for staff while Niger Delta citizens were hungry while locked in their homes.

3. Spent N1.3 billion on community relations with only God knows which community

4. Spent N85.6million for travels during lockdown between February and May 2020

5. Spent N122.9 million on condolences between February – May 2020. 

6. Spent N23.8million on consultancy.

7. Spent N2.6 billion on medicals for themselves while Niger Delta hospitals remain death traps.

8. Spent N790.9 million as imprest from which they funded their multiple girlfriends.

9. Spent N1.9 billion on Lasser fever 

10. Spent N900 million on legal services to beat the heck out of us should we challenge them.

11. Spent N1.121billion on public communication to communicate to God and Lucifer to protect them.

12. Spent 645 million on media to silence us, yet we refused to be silenced or shut up.

In all these expenditures nothing was "spent" on Projects in the Niger Delta for the good of the common man on whose behalf and purpose the Niger Delta Development Commission was established.

I have always maintained that 60% of lack of development in the Niger Delta is self-induced and self-inflicted and only 40% external because the Federal Government has over the years and decades failed in its responsibility of being a class prefect or monitor of our scarce resources. Look at all the dramatist personae in this whole thing, all are from the Niger Delta.

 

Capt. Bish Johnson is Public Affairs analyst and a retired US Army Officer and currently, a Security Consultant based in Nigeria