Reps Vs. NDDC: ‘They Used Militants To Threatened Us, Now It Is Full-scale Blackmail’ – Reps C’ttee Chair

Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, says no amount of blackmail and threat messages being issued by sponsored militant groups would stop the resolution of the National Assembly to probe the Interim Management Committee, IMC for alleged financial improprieties.

Tunji-Ojo spoke at a press conference at the National Assembly complex, Abuja, Tuesday in response to various allegations levelled against the parliament and himself by the NDDC/IMC Executive Director Projects, Dr Cairo Ojougboh in a television interview.

He said that he had received series of some life-threatening phone calls and messages since the ongoing investigation started.

The lawmaker representing Akoko North-East/Akoko North-West Federal Constituency of Ondo State, however dismissed Ojougboh’s claims that he had awarded contracts running into trillions of Naira, describing it as “cheap blackmail”.

According to him: “It’s unfortunate that these allegations are coming. These allegations are forms of blackmail and it is surprising. I became Chairman of this Committee in September last year when we were inaugurated and between September and now, I can say that not a kobo of contract has been awarded as an emergency and so I don’t know how that assertion came about.

“It is laughable because the IMC themselves came into place in September last year, a month after I became Chairman of the House Committee. I came into office and the IMC came into office in October and Dr. Cairo Ojuogboh himself said they have not awarded a single contract since they came on board.

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“So, how did the issue of the contract come about? Obviously, this is sheer blackmail and we expected this from the onset when the investigation process started. The bottom line is that we are not going to be deterred.

”I can say it categorically that we are more determined to work for the people of the Niger Delta. I can say there is no one trillion, two trillion anywhere because it does not exist. Maybe it only exist in the figment of their own imagination.

“In the first place, the National Assembly does not award contracts. So, I am surprised that anybody will award a job that is not in the budget. I have gone through the 2019 budget as approved and I can tell you that there is no provision for emergency training and so, I don’t know what he is talking about.

”I have said it before and let me repeat it for emphasis sake that I don’t have a single contract in NDDC. It started with a 17 kilometre road which they could not substantiate and now, they have come up with another thing. We are only expecting more. I have never had any contract with NDDC, I am not a contractor with NDDC, I have never worked for NDDC and I have never been paid by NDDC for anything.

”I am the chairman of this committee by the grace of God and I know the responsibilities on my shoulders. I know that the Niger Delta is looking up to us for succour, for intervention, for help and for a greater tomorrow. We will not mortgage of the Niger Delta people for sake of our today. That will not happen. I don’t have a contract, and I repeat, I dont have a contract. It is an indictment on their part if they claim that there was an award for none budgeted item. That is a very serious offence which the National Assembly must look into.

“It was stated yesterday that we are doing this probe because we are against the forensic. Let me say this clearly, I, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo I was on Politics Today on Channels Television, when the President approved the forensic and I openly supported it, until tomorrow I support it, my Committee supports it, the House of Reps is in support, the Senate I know they are in support, the National Assembly is in support.

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“To indicate our support, when the 2019 budget was brought, this is the 2019 budget, look at this budget proposal, the President approved forensic in October last year, this budget was brought to the National Assembly in November, precisely November 26, a month after the approval of the President for forensic. Yet, they did not put forensic as a budget line in the budget; they have no financial provision for forensic. It took the National Assembly in line with its power of appropriation to be able to provide funds for the forensic.

“This is it in the budget, precisely serial No: 179 under regional for the forensic. The President approved the sum of N2.5 billion for the forensic and we budgeted for the provision of N2.5 billion in line with what the President approved and we made provision for N1.250 billion in 2019 budget of which they have already paid some because we have records from CBN and others.

“How else as a Legislature, as a responsible and responsive arm of government can we cooperate and show support for the forensic other than making these funds available? If we are not in support, we wouldn’t have made the funds available. Let me say emphatically, we are in support of forensic because the truth must be lay bared and what we are saying in the process of doing forensic if there are allegations, you should be able to defend yourself and not hide under forensic as if forensic has granted you immunity”.

“Forensic is not a medium of granting immunity and that’s all we are saying. We have not indicted anybody. All these things are still allegations against the IMC, there is no resolution of the House against them yet, all we are saying is there are allegations, come and defend yourself in line with the principle of fair hearing. We have written to them, we have written to several government agencies CBN, Accountant General, all of them and we are getting documents and we are going to get evidence and we have promised that this investigation is going to be free and fair. And I don’t see why everybody should be scared of their own shadow, there is no need. We are all working for the Niger Delta people, we don’t see them as enemies but allegations have been raised it is only ethical for you to clear yourself of allegations.

“If you have nothing to hide, why throwing tantrums, why blackmail, why manufacturing figures, that doesn’t exist, talk is cheap, why blackmailing people, why blackmailing the Institution? But I want to assure you of one thing, and I will like to assure the people of Niger Delta we will not be intimidated, we will not be blackmailed into submission, we will do a thorough job, not just to our own satisfaction, not just to the satisfaction of the house but to the satisfaction of the people of the Niger Delta in line with the realities on the ground. That is a promise we are making to the Niger Delta people,” Tunji-Ojo said.

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