2019: Fresh crisis rocks NDDC over Ekere's #1.2b contract to Police DIG

...DIG Habila Joshak also gets luxury apartments, cars from NDDC

Chinwe Okori, Port Harcourt



The Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, is in disarray following the Managing Director, Nsima Ekere's reported unilateral award of a #1.2billion road contract to a company (name withheld) allegedly owned by a relative of the Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operations), DIG Habila Joshak.


DID Joshak, who hails from Plateau state is accused of being Mr Ekere's ally within the Police establishment and is allegedly responsible for the deployment of the Police Special Squad in support of the 2019 Governorship campaign of the NDDC boss.

The DIG Operations has been accused of being responsible for deploying over 200 police officers to escort former member representing Essien Udim State Constituency, Mr Nse Ntuen and other former lawmakers whose seats were declared vacant by the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Onofiok Luke to invade the assembly complex.


According to a source at the NDDC head office in Port Harcourt, the NDDC Act stipulates that any contract up to such an amount must be approved by the Governing Board and members are asking for an explanation to justify why due process was not followed by Mr Ekere in awarding the controversial contract.


"There is a limit to which a Managing Director can on his own award contract under the NDDC Act but for a contract that has been "inflated" up to the tune of #1.2billion, the MD erred in law to have unilaterally awarded such a contract without recourse to the Governing Board as required by law".


"Many Board members are not happy the way contracts are awarded in flagrant disregard to laid down procedure. While we play politics, we must be careful not to destroy the institution of government like the NDDC. The action of Mr Ekere has eroded the few reforms initiated when the present Board came in. The MD will have to explain to the Board his reason for awarding a #1.2 billion contract to a police officer. Last I checked, the DIG Operations is a Public Officer and not a contractor", she said.


Sources at the NDDC office told our reporter that apart from benefiting from this contract and other favours from the NDDC boss, the DIG Operations have also been a beneficiary of a multi million naira mansion in Plateau his home state, Abuja and Lagos including a fleet of five luxury cars all donated by Mr Nsima Ekere within a period of eight months.


"This is why you see the Police go crazy to defend every action taken by the five former lawmakers in Uyo whose seat were declared vacant by the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly. This is also why the Police is playing along in the ongoing drama. The DIG Operations has been compromised by Nsima and it may get worse because the Police boss is under severe pressure to justify the many favours he has gotten from NDDC", she stated.

lol

Una neva see sometinz APC in Akwa Ibom State tis is such the begining.. More are coming...Hmmmm