The cold war between Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike and the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio continues after the former accused the management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) of financial malfeasance.
Wike stated this on Tuesday, September 28, 2021 during the commissioning of the Police Barracks, Special Protection Unit (SPU) base 6 at Omaha in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State that the Niger Delta Development Commission ( NDDC) has collapsed, losing its capacity to deliver development to the Niger Delta.
Governor Wike said that the NDDC has degenerated into a cash cow for politicians. “Those who fought for the establishment of NDDC will weep that the Commission has deviated from its mandate. NDDC has collapsed. NDDC has become a cash cow for politicians”.
“NDDC is now a political institution. NDDC stole our money. There was an agreement for the Rivers State Government and NDDC to collaborate for the construction of the Mother and Child Hospital. NDDC refused to pay her counterpart fund. Even the N800 million paid by the Rivers State Government, the NDDC only paid N400m to the contractor and diverted N400 million.
According to the Governor, “NDDC has been a cash cow for politicians. You will see competition who will be the Managing Director, Executive Director (Finance), Executive Director (Projects).
“These are people who will make sure money is available for politics. You have portfolio contractors from Abuja. Every now and then, the MD will be running to Abuja.”
He also stated that Akpabio had ceased to perform since he defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He said under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Akpabio was known as an uncommon governor due to his achievements, but that under the APC, Akpabio had become an ordinary minister, because he could not do anything extra ordinary under the APC.
Replying to a call from Akpabio to join the APC, Wike stated that though the PDP may be sick with fever, it was still far better than the APC which he said was inflicted with cancer.
Wike further made an allusion to the promise by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Akpabio, over the need to revamp the zone via the mandate of the commission.
He explained how NDDC scuttled the plans of his administration regarding a project in the state.
He added, “I took NDDC to court and we defeated them. You enter somebody’s state, you don’t even know the development plan of the state and start distorting the development plan of the state.
“The road you want to do is not your road. You won’t liaise with the state to say ‘look what project do you want in this state.
“If you ask all the nine states in the Niger Delta and say State A, what kind of project do you want NDDC to execute, we are not interested in who will be the contractor. Our interest is that we are synergising with you so that you don’t repeat those things we are doing.”
