NDDC Denies Alleged N5b, N4b Contracts To Fight COVID-19, Lassa Fever

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), has denied allegations that its awarded a whopping N5.55 billion contact for procurement of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and other kits to fight against the deadly COVID-19 and another over N4 billion to battle Lassa Fever in the Niger Delta region.

An online medium {Not BIGPEN) had published a letter dated April 6, 2020 with a Ref Number NDDC/ MD/HPU/20/4/EHSS/05, which revealed how the commission approved N5, 474,647,125 for procurement of PPE for health workers and provision of community- based sensitisation campaign against the spread of COVID-19 to a company (names withheld).

 The letter reads: “This is to notify you that based on your tender for emergency procurement of specialised medical Personal Protective Equipment for health workers and provision of community based sensitisation campaign against the spread of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases in the nine states of the Niger Delta region, the contract has been awarded to you at the total cost of N5,474,647,125 only inclusive of 7.5 VAT as corrected and modified in accordance with the instruction to tenderers by the Niger Delta Development Commission.”

The letter was allegedly signed by Alex Ndudi Enebeli, Head of Procurement Unit, for the Acting Managing Director of the NDDC.

But reacting to this NDDC, in a statement by the Director of Corporate Affairs, Charles Obi Odili, denied awarding contract to any company for the procurement of PPEs and other kits to fight the spread of COVID-19.

The statement reads: “The document is simply fake or at best unauthorised. The letters for all contracts awarded by the Commission are signed by the Executive Director, Projects on the authority of the Ag Managing Director who is the chief accounting officer of the Commission. Neither of the officials (is) aware of the contract letter. It is inconceivable that a contract (and) of such magnitude could be awarded otherwise.

“The Commission has launched an internal investigation into how such a letter came to be issued and on what authority.

“For the purpose of transparency, we wish to confirm that the Commission has just secured presidential approval to intervene by assisting NCDC in the supply of kits and the building of isolation centres in the nine Niger Delta states.

“Also, the Commission has disbursed N775m to assist the 9 Niger Delta States fight the plague. We have also disbursed N270 million as palliatives to the youths, women and the physically challenged in the 27 senatorial districts of the region”.

The commission also debunked claims that the present management has paid out huge sums for contracts to supply kits and drugs for the prevention of Lassa Fever.

“We wish to state that this present management has not awarded any Lassa fever contract. From the records, the Commission awarded three contracts for intervention against the Lassa Fever scourge and all these took place in 2019, at least one year before the present management came into office.

“For the purpose of transparency, these contracts are as follows:

“In early 2019, there was an outbreak of Lassa Fever in Ondo and Edo states, which overwhelmed the capacity of the state governments to cope. The governor of Ondo State made a request to the Commission for intervention. As a result, the then management, headed by Prof Nelson Braimbaifa on 20th February 2019 awarded a contract for the procurement of 21,000 Lassa Fever prevention kits for the region in the sum of N903 million. The items were supplied and distributed. The contractor was duly paid.

“As the scourge persisted, there was need for further intervention. Another 1,000 protective kits were ordered for N1,092,283,500. This contract was awarded on March 11, 2019. The last contract for Lassa Fever was awarded on April 16, 2019 in the sum of N2,425,242,248. All the kits were supplied and distributed to the nine states. As at date, the Commission is yet to pay for this last contract. Payments had been suspended on ministerial order due to the need for verification of past contracts.

“At no time did the IMC pay out more than N4 billion for Lassa Fever contracts as alleged”, the statement added.