BY FOLUSHO ALADE, ABUJA
The Ministry of Niger Delta affairs has come out to deny the issuance of any form of query or letter of summons to officials of the NIGER DELTA DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION(NDDC) demanding explanation on the allegation of scam bothering on a supposed N5.5billion contract awarded to Signora Concepts Services Limited.
A Press statement from the Ministry signed by the Permanent Secretary, MR OLUSHADE ADESOLA stated that the “document is simply fake or at best unauthorized”.
According to ADESOLA: ”the attention of the Ministry has been drawn to an alleged letter circulating in the social media purporting that the Honourable Minister, Senator (Dr.) Godswill O. Akpabio, CON directed the issuance of a letter/query to the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) demanding explanation on the allegation of a contract scam of N5.5 billion issued by the Commission to Signora Concepts Services Ltd within three (3) days.
The statement further stated: “It is to be noted that the Niger Delta Development Commission had in its various publications in the media denied without equivocation the alleged contract, stating that the “document is simply fake or at best unauthorized”.
“The company, Signora Concepts Services Ltd also issued a statement that it did not receive any payment for the purported Covid-19 contract before the NDDC withdrew the said contract paper it described as either fake or unauthorized”
“The Ministry is satisfied with the explanations provided by both the Commission and the company – Signora Concepts Services Ltd and had gone ahead to confirm that no single payment was made on account of the ‘fake or unauthorized’ transaction.
“Wherein lies the use of the words ‘ Scam or fraud’ ? Therefore, the Ministry has no intention or need to demand any further explanation from the NDDC.
“In the light of the above, the purported letter/query said to have been issued by the Ministry to the NDDC was only a figment of the imagination of the mischief makers.
“ Who in their trepidation on witnessing the take-off of the Forensic Audit of the NDDC directed by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR have persisted in their campaign of calumny and would stop at nothing to stultify the exercise including the vilification and mudsling of the person of the Honourable Minister and the IMC of the NDDC.
“The Permanent Secretary hereby makes it categorically clear that the Ministry has not issued nor authorized the issuance of any query /letter demanding answers from the IMC of the NDDC on any of its well-intentioned actions so far.
“The Honourable Minister, Permanent Secretary and Management of the MNDA therefore disassociate the entire Ministry from the said fallacious letter/ query in all respects.
“The general public is advised to exercise great caution in receiving correspondences concerning the Ministry and its parastatals from sources other than the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs,” the statement concludes.
