By Chidiebere Onyemaizu
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has dismissed as bad politics and mischievous, allegation by officials of the Cross River State Government that it hijacked projects undertaken by the state.
Speaking in Bayelsa during the inauguration of some projects executed by the Commission, Chairman, Governing Board of the interventionist agency, Chiedu Ebie, wondered why some people would descend so low as to tell barefaced lies against the commission just to cast it in bad light and score cheap political goals.
The NDDC boss warned such individuals to leave the Commission out of their dirty politics as the commission was irrevocably committed to the socio- infrastructural development of the Niger Delta region and has no time for inanities.
His said: “Last week we were in Calabar to Commission a state office and also some roads in Calabar South Local Government Area and Calabar Municipality but it is very unfortunate that despite the good work and the amount of efforts and energy put into the projects, not just by the contractors but by the staff who monitored, evaluated and certified them, people will take it upon themselves to cast us in bad light or ensure that they spin the wrong narrative out there.
“Yesterday or two days ago, the media was awash with the projects we went to commission in Calabar where they alleged that due process was not followed in the award of the road projects.
“The law said that the Chairman and Managing Director shall sign contracts on behalf of the Commission. We only do that when the due process is followed- the procurement process is done, the award letter issued and the bill of engineering measurement also issued.
“So, how can a mischievous individual sit down and say there was no award letter, there was nothing, and so how did the contractor go to site? Did he just go there and do whatever it is he wanted to do?
“Politics is politics, leave your politics aside, do not include the NDDC because this is a new NDDC and we are determined to make a difference.”