… Why did he not tell Mr President that I slapped him?
…Akpabio’s girl friend supplies diesel to NDDC
…I have already asked my lawyers to sue Akpabio
By Audrey Lotechukwu
MON, JULY 13 2020-theG&BJournal– The reputation dispute between ex- acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Joi Nunieh and Minister of Niger Delta, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio has escalated after Nunieh accused Akpabio of sexual harassment and corruption violating the Nigeria Procurement Act on a national television.
Nunieh who said she came on the programme to protect her heritage and background, dropped the shocking accusations today on the Arise News television interview with anchor, Dr Ruben Abati- monitored by theG&BJournal, in response to allegations from Akpabio on Nunieh’s National Youth Service Certificate (NYSC) and on any evidence that she severed on the NYSC scheme.
Nunieh clarified the amount she spent during her time at NDDC before she delved in details into the damming allegations. She said she did not spend N22 billion but only N8 billion during her time as acting MD and ‘’I am very happy that members of the National Assembly do have copies of all the money spent by the NDDC from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and from the Accountant Generals Office.’’
She recalled the 5 issues raised by Senator Akpabio, first that she has been married four times to four different husbands.
‘’I have already asked my lawyers to sue him on this, to come and give a list of my husbands. He will be hearing from my lawyers today, and I expect that Akpabio should follow suit and sue me for the allegations that I made during my press conference on his integrity. The relationship we should have had is relationship of work-as supervising minister of NDDC ‘’but he came to show the world that his main interest has always been my love life.’’
Secondly, Akpabio alleged that she does not have an NYSC certificate which she disputed. She said she did her NYSC in Kwara State.
‘’His argument is silly. The onus is on Akpabio to bring my forged NYSC Certificate forward,’’ she said.
The third issue raised by Akpabio is on the reason why she was removed at NDDC.
According to Joi, ‘’Akpabio was asked, is there any case of misappropriation or corruption against me, he said no. Akpabio has written all manner of petitions against me including petition written to the ICPC, which came out zero. So, he didn’t have anything against me and he didn’t have anything to give to Mr President (President Muhammadu Buhari).”
The question of insubordination was another issue thrown at the ex-NDDC boss. She disputed the claim and referred rather to several letters she received from Senator Akpabio, all requesting for payments for frivolous contracts. She said she did not respond to any of the letters.
‘’As a former governor and now a Senator, he should know that rules apply. The public service rule is what I should have been bound by as the MD of the NDDC, and that requires that at least I get a query about insubordination. I want to tell all Nigerians and Mr President that I did not receive one query from Mr Akpabio to explain myself. I have a constitutional right of fair hearing.’’
She said Akpabio wrote her up to 30 letters, including a letter of appeal to pay for a legal fee, another one from his personal chief of staff and another from a director of special duties, all asking for payment for contracts-(the same director wrote to her a reminder for ‘’long overdue payment), all of which she could not respond to because of their source and the requests contained in the letters.
‘’NDDC is not here to pay legal fees just to help people. He just didn’t understand that NDDC’s money is not to be used to assist people. Can you imagine the chief of staff to the minister requesting for money. How do I respond to this sought of letter?’’
‘’I have never seen anywhere in the country where a minister would write to me to make payments to his cronies.’’ She also showed another letter written requesting for payment for water hyacinth.
Sexual Harassment
‘’When Akpabio saw that she could not make me bring out the monies she now tried plan ‘’B’’.
She suggested in the Plan B that Akpabio tried to lure her with (huge) amount of money and the promise to make her appointment as substantive MD to the Commission approved.
Why did he not tell Mr President that I slapped him.’’ Why did he not tell Nigerians that I slapped his face in his guest house at Apo (in Abuja).’’ Why did he not tell Nigerians what the insubordination was all about? He told the Senate Committee I refused to come to meet him to have meetings. Why didn’t we hold our meetings at the office? I told Mr Akpabio that I will not go to any meeting outside his office or my office. I am the only the Ogoni and Nigerian woman that has slapped his face.’’
When asked why she slapped the Senator, her response was: ‘’I slapped him because of his Plan ‘’B’’ He thought that he could take up on me since he couldn’t get me to pay those monies. I am not moved by somebody telling me he will make me a substantive MD.
I am accusing him of sexual harassment. Our meetings are only at Apo or the Meriden (Hotel)that is why Akpabio is more interested in my love life, and I want to say that most Nigerian women face a lot of these pressures. That is why Akpabio told the world that I am temperamental. It is because of that incident.’’
She wasn’t done with her accusations.
‘’Akpabio’s girl friend supplies diesel to NDDC.’’
This type of scandalous allegation has sent many prominent personalities in other climes to life imprisonment-if proven.
‘’I said to myself, why don’t we give the young Niger Delta boys the opportunity-divide it into the nine states for them to gain.’’
According to her, the NDDC in the past had paid to get electricity directly from Afam (Power plant), connected to the NDDC building. That was disconnected after millions of naira was paid to get that light direct from source to NDDC.
When she raised the alarm and moved to stop the diesel purchase from Akpabio’s girl friend and restart the discontinued electricity project into the NDDC office, ‘’they refused to pay to connect the light into the office-so that we can keep buying that diesel.’’
Akpabio wanted me to bring money for his Presidential ambition
Akpabio was trying to tell us on TV that people should not use the NDDC for their political goal, that he came to rescue it. But he wanted me to bring money for his presidential ambition. He got upset that I saw Mrs Ameachi (wife of Rotimi Ameachi) and Mrs Sylva (wife Timipre Sylva, minister of State for Petroleum) at the airport and because I spoke to them, I want to stop his Presidential ambition-because they are his political enemies.
She said; Akpabio does not have any role in the day to day running of the NDDC. ”Akpabio doesn’t need to approve any payment made by the NDDC,” in response to comments that all the monies she spent wasn’t approved by Akpabio.
‘’But you can see that Akpabio stopped going to his ministry, he is now the minister of the NDDC because the budget of the NDDC is N20 billion.”
He never says anything about his ministry but only has something to say about when he was governor. He has not told anybody in the country that the ministry of Niger Delta Affairs is doing very well. He doesn’t discuss the ministry, what he discusses is NDDC.’’
More to follow soon…
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