$7.5m (N800 Million) Voodoo Money Scam: Calls for probe of NDDC
Calls for comprehensive probe of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) mounted yesterday on the heels of suspension of its Chairman, Amb. Sam Edem, for allegedly spending N800 million on voodoo.
The acting chairman of the commission, Barrister Bassey Dan-Abia had said last Thursday at NDDC’s headquarters in Port Harcourt that the Agency’s money was not in any way involved in the ugly development around the suspended chairman.
But Niger Delta activist, Alaowei Afro Biukeme, vowed to mobilize one million niger Deltans to Abuja on a peaceful protest if investigation on the suspended chairman of the Niger delta Development Commission (NDDC), Ambassador Sam Edem and the entire Board of the commission was not made public within 30 days.
He said Dan-Abia was being economical with the truth, wondering how the Chairman of NDDC could raise N800 million for such flimsy use.
Alaowei Biukeme, the chairman of Izon-Ebi Oil Producing Community Task Force, insisted yesterday that NDDC money was involved in the matter that led to the suspension of Ambassador Edem.
While saying that the acting chairman of the commission was being economical with words, Alaowei Biukeme said the whole world must be told where a public servant like Ambassador Edem got a whooping sum of N800 Million to splash on a native doctor.
According to him, if the outcome of the investigation was not satisfactory, he would mobilize men and women to demonstrate before the President at Abuja .
Alaowei Biukeme who is also the CEO of Afrotex International Marine Services warned that any attempt to sweep the matter under the carpet would not be accepted and tasked the Senate House Committee on NDDC, the House of Representatives Committee on NDDC and the Police to get to the bottom of the matter.
“We want the Senate Committee, the House of representatives on NDDC and the Police to properly investigate the suspended chairman of the NDDC within 30 days and give the Nigerian people, especially those of us from the Niger Delta Region a feedback or we will mobilize our people to Abuja to demonstrate for the President to sack the entire members of the NDDC Board,” he said.
According to him, “The whole world is aware already of the fraud that the commission has become and this is one case these people cannot use money to influence, therefore we are giving them 30 days to tell us the outcome of the investigation, if not we will go and protest before the president because the Due Process that he is campaigning if it does not work out, then we will take other ways to make it work”
Said he; “If we keep silent over this matter and he is left off the hook by the police that it is a ritual case, we are not going to accept it because that money belongs to us. We want that money back into the coffers of NDDC for the development of the neglected region”
“We want our police to carry out a proper investigation on the suspended chairman as well as the entire Board of the commission because all funds of the Agency are strictly meant for our development. The suffering people of the oil rich Niger Delta wants to know where a public servant like Ambassador Edem who has not served for four years got N800 Million to pay a native doctor,” he stated.
