In line with adage that says nothing is hidden under the sun, documents showing how the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio secretly lobbied to influence five projects worth N500m in the 2017 Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) had been made public.

The NDDC had recently come hard on the National Assembly, accusing it of intruding into the affairs of the Commission.

Its Director of Projects, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, in his outing on a Television interview May 25, 2020, accuses the lawmakers of being responsible for the delay in the passage of the NDDC budget, "vandalization and rape of the Commission’s 2019 budget" and working against the ongoing forensic audit instituted by the Presidency recently; amongst other things.

The National Assembly had since reacted to the NDDC's allegations, saying it was the commission which was engaging in illegal and unauthorized spending.

However, Akpabio, in a letter dated August 7, 2017, addressed to the Chairman, Senate Committee on NDDC, had requested that five projects worth N500m be added to the budget.

Akpabio, the then Minority Leader in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, used his office to include projects not captioned in the 2017 budget proposal.

The projects include, fencing the Federal Polytechnic, Ukana, Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District, at the cost of N200m.

Fencing of Federal Government College, Ikot Ekpene (Old site), Akwa North-West Senitorial District, at N100m.

The projects also include, entrepreneurship training on the use of modern farming implement for Youths in Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District, at the cost of N75m.

Entrepreneurship training on the use of modern farming implement for Women in Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District at the cost of N75m and renovation of one hostel facility at University of Nsukka, Nsukka Campus at the cost of N50m.

According to credible sources in the Senate, that was not the first time the Honourable Minister was doing it, as he also did in 2016 and in 2018 fiscal years, "with no tangible evidence of implementation of those projects".

The NDDC is currently under probe for an alleged N40bn irregular expenditure by the Interim Management Committee (IMC).

The Commission has severally taken steps to ensure the probe didn't go on. But the National Assembly said it was poised to exercising its constitutional powers of oversight functions, in line with the principles of checks and balancing.

That was then, but now he is a saint Akpabio under APC lobby,

His former aides and kinsmen at work.
But he have so far expose many corrupt loopholes in NDDC recently..
Let's hear what he have to say.