ONYEDI GABRIEL, PORT HARCOURT
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has accused the Niger Delta Development Commission of defrauding the state N800 million under the guise of partnering with his government to execute the Mother and Child Hospital project.
In a statement signed by his Special Assistant, Media, Kelvin Ebiri, said Wike spoke when members of the House of Representatives Committee on NDDC led by its Chairman, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Thursday.
The governor said that NDDC and the Rivers State had once agreed to collaborate on a legacy project, but the commission ended up defrauding the state government
He said, “NDDC fraudulently duped us over the Mother and Child hospital. They duped us. They had an agreement with the state government to build a regional hospital called Mother and Child hospital. They agreed that it will be N1.7 billion. They said that the state government will bring N800 million, they will bring N900 million. State government at that time paid its N800 million. NDDC mobilised the contractor with N400 million out of the N800 million we brought and then abandoned the contractor and the contractor left the site.
“And when we came on board, we said okay, we don’t want to partner with you again, give us back our N400 million, it became a problem. Politics came in”.
He said despite the inauguration of the advisory council of the NDDC, the commission is still sidelining oil-producing state governors from its affairs.
He said the NDDC was acting like a state on its own, refusing to interface with the governors to strategically develop the Niger Delta region.
The governor explained that the governors were not the real critical stakeholders in the affairs of the NDDC as assumed in some quarters.
He said since the inauguration of the NDDC advisory council last year, the present federal government had ensured that the governors were sidelined in the affairs of the commission.
He said: “Even when we are inaugurated, we were not involved in anything that happens in NDDC. Which is most unfortunate.
“NDDC is like a state on its own without working with the State government and why is it so. It is so because the states of NDDC are controlled by the opposition party therefore there is no need to consult with them.”
The governor explained that to ensure NDDC did not embark on indiscriminate execution of projects, the Rivers State government recently obtained a court order that prohibited the commission from carrying out projects without the consent of the state government.
Wike urged the National Assembly to be resolute in its oversight function by ensuring that the NDDC stopped frittering the resources meant for the development of the Niger Delta region on building roads in army barracks, police stations and spending billions of Naira to ensure he did not win reelection.
The governor said he would continually speak out for the interest of the people of Rivers state.
” I want the best for my people. They have given me everything in life, so I owe them. It is not what I will make, they have already made me. So, what do I offer back”, he said.
In his remarks, Tunji- Ojo explained that the purpose of the visit was predicated on the fact that Wike was a principal stakeholder in the affairs of NDDC.
He said while oversighting the agency, the committee would ensure that NDDC worked in synergy with critical stakeholders of the region.