In July 2020, Niger Delta Minister, Mr Godswill Akpabio, appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta to account for the N81.5 billion that was spent by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) between January and July 2020.
A mild drama, however, ensued during the probe, leading to the popular phrase, “honourable minister off your mic,” which has since gained popularity in the country.
However, there hasn’t been any public development on the probe, neither has Akpabio provided details of the much-publicised forensic audit. Neither Akpabio nor the current government has informed the public that it is implementing the audit report – which should ordinarily be a public document.
Akpabio is currently a front-runner for the position of Senate president for the 10th National Assembly, which he may likely get following his adoption by the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the party’s preferred candidate for the third highest office in the country.
In 2000, former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, created the NDDC to replace the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC). The mandate of the NDDC was simple — to develop the oil-rich but environmentally ravaged Niger Delta region arising majorly from the activities of oil and gas companies in the area.
N15trn pumped into NDDC
Between 2000 and 2018, a sum of N15 trillion was pumped into capital projects in the region to achieve the Niger Delta Regional Development Masterplan and lay the foundation for transforming the region into Nigeria’s Dubai, according to BudgIT.
Source: BudgIT
However, despite the substantial amount of funding allocated to the region, it remains far from being developed, and the NDDC itself has been embroiled in numerous controversies bordering largely on financial recklessness and corruption. This has left many Nigerians, particularly those from the Niger Delta region, to believe that the commission has failed in its mandate.
The NDDC covers nine states: Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo, Delta, Ondo, Imo, and Abia State.
Akpabio’s unfulfilled vow
In August 2019, Akpabio was appointed minister of Niger Delta affairs by President Muhammadu Buhari. Prior to his appointment, he had served as the governor of Akwa Ibom from 2007 to 2015 and later as a senator representing Akwa Ibom North-West from 2015 to 2019.
Before he assumed office, Akpabio had vowed to make a positive mark on the ministry.
“I love leaving marks wherever I visit; it is a great privilege on our part being selected to work with you, to see how we can turn around the fortunes of the Niger Delta region,” he had said.
About one year after his appointment, in July, Akpabio appeared before the House of Reps Committee on Niger Delta for the investigation of the N81.5 billion expenditure by the NDDC in a span of seven months (January to July).
During the probe, he accused members of the National Assembly of being major beneficiaries of the corruption in the NDDC by awarding contracts to themselves.
In turn, a senator representing Delta North in the 9th Assembly, Mr Peter Nwaoboshi, accused him of appropriating the sum of N300 million NDDC fencing contract to himself.
Additionally, the former Managing Director of the NDDC, Ms Joy Nunieh, accused Akpabio of corruption, abuse of office, and even sexual harassment. These were aside other corruption allegations that were levelled against the former governor. It was also a time the former acting Managing Director of the NDDC, Prof Kemebradikumo Pondei, fainted while being quizzed.
No one has since heard about the “off your mic” House of Reps member, Hon Thomas Ereyitomi, even though he was reelected on February 25 general election to represent Warri Federal Constituency.
Akpabio on the march
Despite the gravity of these accusations, Akpabio is favoured by the ruling party, APC, as the senator-elect to succeed the current President of the Senate, Mr Ahmad Lawan.
But the outcome of the investigative hearing remains unknown to the public. The probe seems to have faded away like previous investigations aimed at investigating the NDDC.
Although President Muhammadu Buhari received the NDDC forensic audit report in September 2021 and stated in July 2022 that his administration had begun implementing it, little information has been made public regarding the N81.5 billion probe that took place in 2020.
Between 2001 and 2019, the Federal Government approved a total of N3.38 trillion as budgetary allocation to the NDDC. During this period, the commission received a total of N2.42 trillion in income from both statutory and non-statutory sources, according to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami. This brings the total amount received by the commission between 2001 and 2019 to N5.80 trillion.
“This is a sad situation,” said an emerging markets analyst, Mr Ike Ibeabuchi.
“The amount in question -N82 billion – can build more than 100 schools in various Nigerian villages. Yet everybody seems to have moved on with politics. You can’t fail to account for nearly $180 million and get away with it in many emerging markets, but that is so common here, which is why investors do not take us seriously. We need to get to change the way we do things in Nigeria,” he added.
The Country-Director of Accountability Lab, Nigeria. Mr Odeh Friday, expressed similar worries about the possibility of Akpabio becoming the president of the Senate.
He noted that corruption thrived in secrecy, which, unfortunately, had become a common practice in the National Assembly, with many of their probes, in particular the NDDC 2020 investigative hearing, not seeing the light of the day. With Akpabio potentially becoming the president of the Senate, Mr Odeh noted that it would be extremely challenging to hold the 10th Assembly accountable.
“”It is going to be a hard time for Nigerians to hold the National Assembly accountable with somebody like him [Akpabio] who is already in the forefront of being the Senate president,” Odeh stated.
He, however, expressed hope and urged the newly elected lawmakers to do what was right in the best interest of Nigerians so as to avoid another situation similar to the “off your mic” case in 2020.
The Executive Director of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), Mr Olanrewaju Suraju, also expressed concerns about Akpabio’s Senate ambitions. He highlighted that, in addition to the NDDC 2020 investigation saga, Akpabio had several corruption cases pending in court.
Suraju feared that if Akpabio became the president of the Senate, he might become a bargaining chip for the incoming president to get his way in the Senate. He stressed that the government’s lack of concern for public perception and the fight against corruption were evident in this situation.
“This clearly indicates that the government is not concerned about its integrity, public perception, and its commitment to combating corruption,” Suraju noted.
NDDC spokesman, Dr Ibitoye Abosede, did not respond to calls and a text message sent to him regarding the status of Mr Akpabio’s probe and the NDDC’s forensic audit.