Calm Down, Face Your Issues, Ibori Tells Akpabio

By GWG Staff

Chief James Ibori has denied winning or executing any contract for the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC and advised Senator Godswill Akpabio to calm down and face the allegations of misappropriation leveled against him.

His denial followed earlier denial by his successor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan who also pooh-poohed the claim by Senator Godswill Akpabio that the pair collected contracts from the NDDC.

The other former governor named, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu on his part admitted presenting contractors for jobs but said that the NDDC had not paid for the jobs done.

Denying the claim from Akpabio that he won contracts from the NDDC, Ibori in a statement said:

“Chief James Onanefe Ibori, on hearing the news of the alleged Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) contract award to him this morning, from the former Governor of Akwa-Ibom state, Senator Godswill Akpabio, as published by Punch newspapers and other online publications, he did not want to join in the “dancing in the market square” going on in the NDDC right now.

“He has decided to make this clarification for the records because friends and associates inundated him with phone calls this morning. So, he is stating categorically that he never solicited for, or was awarded, or indeed executed, any contract with NDDC or any government agency, at any time, for that matter.

“And in all he has been through in and out of public office, he has never been accused of being a government contractor, let alone a failed one hence he did not want to dignify the allegation with a response because it is ridiculous.

“So, Ibori is advising Akpabio, his brother, friend and member of the former Governors Forum, to please calm down and focus on the task at hand.”

Noting his role in the evolution of the NDDC and the way the commission has degenerated, the former governor said:

“Ibori said that the NDDC we have today is a product of his personal sacrifice as well as those of his Niger Delta colleagues (1999 -2007) who rose to the occasion to override the veto of President Olusegun Obasanjo who refused to assent to the NDDC Bill at the time.

“If not for the exemplary courage some of us exhibited, there would have not been an NDDC to bicker about today.

“Watching the level the NDDC has degenerated to, is a tragedy. We owe it a duty to the people of the Niger Delta to make NDDC work to ameliorate the sufferings of the people of the region and to realise the dream for which we fought for it to be set up. So, let everybody involved in the NDDC do their duties to the good people of the region.”

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