Gbajabiamila gives Akpabio 2 days ultimatum to name lawmakers who received NDDC contracts

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has given the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, 48 hours to name the lawmakers who received contracts from the Niger Delta Development Commission.

Akpabio had said before a House committee on Monday said that 60 per cent of the contracts awarded by the NDDC was given to lawmakers.

The minister’s claim had generated controversy and questioned the integrity of the committee set up to probe the alleged N81bn fraud perpetrated by the NDDC.
Addressing the House on Tuesday, however, Gbajabiamila, who has been a federal lawmaker since 2003, said he had never received any NDDC contract before.

He subsequently gave Akpabio 24 to 48 hours to reveal the identities of the lawmakers that received the contracts or face severe sanction.

The Speaker said, “This is my 5th term here and I have never for once collected anything from the National Assembly and I know I speak for a great majority of members of this House, a great majority. And because of that, I will take this allegation and accusation very seriously.
“And I will give the minister (Akpabio) 24 to 48 hours. Clerk, I want you to back this up with a letter from this House. Give the minister 24 to 48 hours to publish the names, the contracts so given, the dates because obviously these things will be documented; unveil the companies of the 60 per cent projects that were given to members of the National Assembly.”

Gbajabiamila’s ultimatum received applause from a large section of the lawmakers.

Comments

Hurricane Hits Texas, One Person Reported Dead

Hurricane Harvey hit Texas as a Category 4 storm on Friday, battering the coast with 130-mph winds and torrential rain. It was the strongest hurricane to hit the United States in more than a decade leaving a massive destruction, loss of electricity, wrecked buildings and has so far killed at least one person. Scroll down to see more pictures of the incident:

Kenyan Law Court dismisses case of man seeking compensation after his wife eloped with another man from hospital

A lawsuit filed by a man seeking to be compensated by St Mary's Mission Hospital in Kenya for allowing his wife to leave the hospital with another man after giving birth, has been struck out by a law court. The appellant had sued the St. Mary's Mission hospital at Kakamega law courts in 2020 seeking general damages from the facility on grounds that the hospital had discharged his wife and allowed her to leave with another man. After delivering and at the time of discharge, the wife of the appellant claimed he was the baby's father. The court of appeal judges Patrick Kiage, Mumbi Ngugi and Francis Tuiyott sitting at the Kisumu Court of Appeal, empathized with the man, but disagreed that he (the appellant) be compensated by the hospital for not detaining his wife. They upheld the lower court's judgement which added that there's no remedy that lies in the law for such grievances. Kiage said; "I agree that if a man takes the woman he loves to t...

Nigerian Military hands over 23 rescued children to UNICEF through Borno State

The Nigerian military has handed over 23 children who were formerly associated with Boko Haram insurgents, to UNICEF through the Borno State government. The children were picked up during various military operations around the north-east region. Aged between 17 and 10 years, the boys and girls confessed to the military that they have been assisting the Boko Haram insurgents either as fighters or domestic helps in the camps. The Theatre Commander of a military counterinsurgency force, Abba Dikko, said the 23 children were released in line with Nigeria military’s commitment to the observance of human rights. He observed that the children and other vulnerable persons were victims who faced with the highly unstable circumstances induced by the conflict would have had little option but to fall under the thrall of the insurgents. “We were able to identify this category of people, especially the women, the aged and children to whom it behooves our sense of duty and res...

BAMY BLOG

Search This Blog