The Ijaw Stakeholders for Good Governance, ISGG, has revealed that some Niger Delta leaders sponsoring falsehood and malicious publications against the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio were after the resources and dubuous contracts in the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC.

In a statement issued yesterday in Warri, Delta State, signed by Ebiye Coleman, President and Mr. Lazarus Anthony, Spokesman, the gruop alleged that some persons from the Niger Delta region serving in the Presidency were responsible for the series of media attacks on Godswill Akpabio, warning that they must desist from it for the interest of the region.

According to the statement, “They all have their respective ministries and also those in the legislature, they want to interfere into the affairs of Akpabio’s ministry and sponsoring media attacks against Akpabio. Meanwhile, Akpabio has never or attempted to influence happenings in their ministry or the legislature. Akpabio should be allowed to serve the people of Niger Delta.

“From available information, Godswill Akpabio was never involved in the award of NDDC Headquarters contract to Rodnab Construction firm by NDDC. The said contract was approved by the Federal Executive Council on 21st December, 2017, and subsequently awarded by the management of NDDC led by it’s former MD, Nsima Ekere, and the site was handed over to Rodnab on 15th March,2018, which at that time Sen Godswill Akpabio was a Senate Minority Leader. So, it is totally wrong to accuse Akpabio over the Rodnap contract.

“All former management of NDDC abandoned the NDDC’s Headquarters project in Port Harcourt, but, in 2019, when Senator Godswill Akpabio was appointed Minister of Niger Delta, the President, Muhammadu Buhari drafted NDDC under Akpabio’s ministry. It was only then Akpabio found out that NDDC was paying huge rent for a temporary office, which was a complete waste of government funds. Being an uncommon transformer, he decided and directed the commission to urgently complete the NDDC’s Headquarters project for commissioning by Mr. President in April, but the unfortunate broke out of the convid-19 pandemic has changed the plan temporarily”.

The Ijaw leaders also frown at the deliberate plot to blackmail NDDC’s Interim Management Committee and Godswill Akpabio.

The group said the continue media attacks were being sponsored by vested interests to discredit Akpabio and Commission.

“This must stop, we should also support Akpabio’s Niger Delta Ministry and NDDC to deliver on the mandate to provide human and infrastructural development across the entire Niger Delta region,” the statement disclosed.