Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, allegedly
paid a whopping $2million in bribe to have Attorney General Abubakar Malami,
raise a memo advising President Mohammadu Buhari to jettison the already
screened board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, a source
familiar with the deal told pointblanknews.com
The Senate recently
confirmed President Buhari’s 15 member nominees for the
Niger Delta Development Commission board while Buhari was away on a
Private visit to the United Kingdom.
Ex-Edo State
Deputy Governor Pius Odubu was confirmed as Chairman of the board
while Delta State’s Bernard Okumagba was confirmed as Managing Director
and Bayelsa State’s Maxwell Okoh as Executive Director of Finance and
Administration.
Others are
Prophet Erue (Delta), Victor Ekhator (Edo), Otobong Ndem (Akwa Ibom),
Nwogu Nwogu (Abia), Theodore Allison (Bayelsa), Maurice Effiwatt (Cross River),
Uchegbu Kyrian (Imo) and Ardo Zubairu (North-East).
The rest are Olugbenga
Elema Ondo), Aisha Muhammed (North-West), Victor Antai (Akwa Ibom) and
Abdullahi Bage (North-Central).
However, the Senate
confirmation came after Akpabio had curiously appointed Joy Nunieh as the
Managing Director of an interim board of NDDC in what insiders described as an
illegality.
Sources told pointblanknews.com that since Buhari returned from his
private visit to London, stakeholders have been meeting with the President to
have him swear-in the Odubu/Okumagba board to stave off a possible unrest in
the Niger Delta region.
According to a
sources, after the President had agreed to swear-in the new board, Akpabio
rushed to Attorney General Malami to persuade him to raise a memo claiming the
constituted board which had Okumagba from Delta State violated the NDDC Act.
Akpabio, pointblanknews.com gathered, told Malami that under the
NDDC Act, which recognizes rotation, it was not the turn of Delta state to
emerge the position of Managing Director of NDDC.
“He told Malami to
impress it upon the President that he would be violating the NDDC Act if he
goes ahead with the planned swearing-in of the Odubu/Okumagba board,” the
source who is an insider hinted.
Sources told pointblanknews.com that to write the memo and stop the
President from swearing-in the new board, Malami demanded $2million in bribe
which he said was to be shared with others in the Villa.
And swiftly, the money
was raised and paid to the Attorney General, a source familiar with the deal
said.
It is not immediately
known those in the Presidential Villa who are going to be beneficiaries of the
bribe money. Although the source said the Chief of staff and other close aides
of the President might be the beneficiaries.
“I can confirm to you
that $2million bribe has already been paid to Malami to do the memo to the
president to reject the already screened NDDC board. Akpabio is desperate and
wants the Nunieh led interim board remains, the source said.
According to the
source, Akpabio wants the Nunieh led Interim board to remain and sign several
contracts of his interest for as long as possible.
Culled from pointblanknews.com
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