NDDC: Dissolve IMC, sack Akpabio, Itse Sagay tells Buhari

The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council Against Corruption (PACAC), Professor Itse Sagay has called for the sack of the Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

He stated this in response to the events following the probe of misappropriation in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) by the National Assembly.

Sagay, who spoke in an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday, said Buhari should dissolve the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NDDC and remove Akpabio as the minister of Niger Delta Affairs.

He said, “If I were the President, if I were in his shoes, and if I was to advise him, I would say dissolve this interim committee, remove the Minister of the Niger Delta (Akpabio) because he is neck deep in it and bring in fresh people, probably people who have been properly nominated and then institute a very strict system of monitoring expenditure”.

The House of Representatives had earlier on Tuesday, given Akpabio 48 hours to publish the names of National Assembly members he claimed got 60 per cent of NDDC contracts.

Read also: Unlike in the past, there is ‘zero’ corruption in fuel subsidy under Buhari — Sagay

In his response to that call, Sagay said that the demand by the federal lawmakers was “a very healthy development.”

He said, “The suspicions have been strong for a long time that many lawmakers are not satisfied with their own and they want to do business with governments and that they use their influence to acquire contracts in areas they are supposed to be providing supervisions for.

“The suspicion has been on for a very long time and some names have been mentioned in the past and they denied it. So I think this is a very good opportunity for that issue to be finally settled.

“Once the names are mentioned and spelt out, we would be able to conclude and know those who are compromising their positions as legislators and getting their hands in areas in which they should be providing a cleansing for society. But if it is false, they would have cleared their names and their honour and integrity would be restored”.

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