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NDDC denies awarding N500m contracts to Akpabio, accuses senator who made the allegation of N3.6bn fraud

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The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) on Monday denied awarding contracts worth N500 million to the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio.

The commission was reacting to an allegation raised by the senator representing Delta North Senatorial District, Peter Nwaoboshi, that the commission awarded contracts worth N500 million to the minister without execution.

But in a statement on Monday, the spokesman of NDDC, Charles Odili, described the allegation as misleading.

He added that findings by the commission revealed that Nwaoboshi had questions to answer.

READ ALSO: Senate committee links Akpabio to alleged N500m NDDC project scam

Odili said: “The Commission wishes to state that it has searched through its records and there is no evidence of any contract awarded to Senator Akpabio or any company associated with him by the NDDC.

“From our findings, the person who has questions to answer to the Niger Delta People is Senator Nwaoboshi. Our records showed that Senator Nwaoboshi used 11 front companies (owned or traceable to him) to secure a contract of N3.6 billion in September 2016 in what is perhaps the biggest single case of looting of the Commission’s resources.”

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