Politicians have turned NDDC into a cash cow – Wike

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, said on Tuesday that politicians have turned the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) into a cash cow.

Wike stated this during the commissioning of the Police Barracks, Special Protection Unit (SPU) base 6 at Omaha in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.

He said: “NDDC has been a cash cow for politicians. You will see competition who will be the Managing Director, Executive Director (Finance), Executive Director (Projects).

“These are people who will make sure money is available for politics. You have portfolio contractors from Abuja. Every now and then, the MD will be running to Abuja.”

He also said the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, had ceased to perform since he defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

According to him, Akpabio under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was known as an uncommon governor due to his achievements.

He added that under the APC, Akpabio had become an ordinary minister because he could not do anything extraordinary under the ruling party.

On the minister’s request for him to join the APC, Wike stressed that though the PDP may be sick with fever, it was still far better than the ruling party which was inflicted with cancer.

READ ALSO: Wike narrates how NDDC allegedly duped Rivers of N400m

The governor also reminded Akpabio of his promise to improve the living conditions in Niger through the NDDC.

He revealed how commission scuttled the plans of his administration regarding a project in the state.

Wike added: “I took NDDC to court and we defeated them. You enter somebody’s state, you don’t even know the development plan of the state and start distorting the development plan of the state.

“The road you want to do is not your road. You won’t liaise with the state to say ‘look what project do you want in this state.

“If you ask all the nine states in the Niger Delta and say State A, what kind of project do you want NDDC to execute, we are not interested in who will be the contractor. Our interest is that we are synergising with you so that you don’t repeat those things we are doing.”

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