FORMER NDDC MD, NSIMA EKERE, CLEARS AKPABIO OF ANY WRONG OVER  NDDC PERMANENT OFFICE CONTRACT  AWARDED RODNAP •••Says Investigative Journalism is dead in Nigeria

This morning I wrote a short article on the new head office building of the NDDC. I commended the Minister  of Niger Delta Affairs Senator Godswill Akpabio and the management of the NDDC for their zest in bringing the project to 95% completion.

 I concluded by asking all Akwa Ibom citizens to allow the Hon. Minister to do his job so that he will bring democracy dividends back home. I noted that Obong Nsima, during his tenure, was very good in empowering some our Party members and supporting the Party.

As soon as he read the piece in far away Houston, USA,  Mr. Ekere sent me the following note:

“I started the move to finally complete this building and got the FEC to approve the award of the job to RODNAP during my tenure. We also paid over 50% of the contract sum based on the value of work they had done and approved IPC. Hope that helps the narrative. Well done”.

I was surprised at Ekere’s admission that he is the one who paid RODNAP Construction for the jobs they had done. He even said that he got FEC to approve more for them.

This is contrary to many of the publications that had levelled accusations against Senator Akpabio in the last few months.

 Some publications had stated that it was the incumbent Minister that brought RODNAP to NDDC and unilaterally gave them the contract without any approval.

So I sent the following question to Mr Ekere as my reply:

“But why are all the  publications saying that it is the incumbent  Minister that made the payments, and the payments were not approved”?

Mr. Ekere’s reply is very instructive.

He said: “Investigative journalism is dead in Nigeria. Too much junk and blackmail”.

This has vindicated Senator Akpabio and proven that the fabrications and false allegations made against the Minister are junk and blackmail, as I had consistently said.

Those who had claimed that it was Akpabio who had fraudulently brought RODNAP to NDDC and illegally paid them money or made variations on the contract should hide themselves in shame.

I have no doubt that all other lies against the Minister will sooner or later be exposed for what they are: junk and blackmail.