LAGOS SEPTEMBER 22ND (URHOBOTODAY)-The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has invited the former Executive Director of Projects of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mr. Samuel Adjogbe to explain how and why he awarded over N60billion emergency contracts under five months without tenders, Pointblanknews.com sources have revealed.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that the contracts were awarded to companies hurriedly packaged with no work history or known addresses.
Adjogbe, according to findings had through his office, awarded series of emergency contracts shared between him, Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, his benefactor, O’tega Emerho, a former Governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Delta State and the former Chairman of the Rivers State APC, Chief Davies Ibiamu-Ikanya.
The contracts sum ranges from N800million, N700million, N500million were awarded to several portfolio companies without tenders in breach of the procurement act.
Sources told Pointblanknews.com that a generous Adjogbe, splits contracts running into several billions within four months to the APC leaders after he had been assured of emerging the next managing Director of the NDDC.
“He went crazy after he was assured that his emergence as the next MD of the NDDC has been sealed,” a source familiar with the deals at the NDDC told pointblanknews.com.
According to an APC source, Ortega had assured Adjogbe that Amaechi and other stakeholders have bought into his candidacy for the MD of the NDDC and in appreciation of the support, the former Executive Director of Project went into contract award spree, sharing contracts to Amaechi, Emerhor and other APC chieftains.
Another angle that angered the anti-graft agencies is that these dubious contracts were awarded without budgetary provisions which is a clear breach of the federal government’s public procurement Act.
Sources inside NDDC revealed that Ajogbe acting in connivance with Emerhor, split contracts to beat the threshold and had them awarded when the NDDC budget 2019 hadn’t been passed by the National Assembly. Said a director in NDDC.
“That young man called Ajogbe will go to jail like his predecessor, Tuoyo. He was awarding jobs and spending money without budgetary approval from the National Assembly. Check the records. He felt Emerhor and Amaechi will protect him.”
Immediately the Prof. Nelson Briambaifa was sacked, the EFCC swiftly went into investigations and discovering massive fraud committed by the former NDDC board. Adjogbe was immediately invited to explain the massive award of contracts.
In the course of investigations, sources confirmed to pointblanknews.com that unexplained properties linked to O’tega Emerhor and Adjogbe have been found in Lagos and Abuja while investigations are ongoing on wire transfers done within and outside Nigeria.
O’tega has since gone into hiding, while his protégé, Adjogbe has been answering questions from investigators.
Meanwhile, sources in Delta state alleged that O’tega funded Evelyn Oboro, a Peoples Democratic Party Senatorial candidate for Delta Central with N100million, part of the proceeds from contracts he got from the NDDC.
He also allegedly funded most of the PDP election tribunals in Delta state to spite the Great Ogboru faction of the APC.
The NDDC is currently in over N2trillion debt from contracts awarded.
PointBlanknews.com