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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr Umana Okon Umana, has dismissed as “false and totally baseless”, a series of allegations of N480 billion fraud made against him by those he described as professional petition writers, declaring that there is no iota of truth in the claims.
Umana who also denied the allegation of sacking 700 workers at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) upon assumption, said no fraud has been committed under his watch in the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.
According to him, despite futile efforts of the petitioners and their hired hands to malign his person, the monies associated with projects alleged to have been embezzled have neither been released nor expended on the projects cited in the petition.
Umana in a statement, issued via email, in response to the petition purportedly tendered before the National Assembly, explained that in line with his directive at the last meeting of the National Council, adjustments had been made in the 2022 budget proposals of the NDDC to accommodate core regional infrastructure projects based on a new template for the development of the Niger Delta region.
“It is senseless for the petitioners to allege that compilation of projects to be included in the budget proposals of NDDC for 2022 for transmission to the National Assembly is a crime. Everything is at the proposal stage; no contracts have been awarded and no money has been disbursed or expended,” he said.
On the sacking of workers, Umana explained that he did not sack or approve the sack of 700 workers of the Commission, adding that on assumption of duty, he was briefed by both the Ministry and the NDDC, whose interim administrator at the time complained of a bloated staff strength which made him (the minister) to ask what the Interim administrator had done about it.
He said nobody came back to him over the actions taken to address the “bloated staff strength” stressing that whatever action that was taken had no ministerial approval.
“The allegation of non-performance peddled in the same petition is also baseless. The Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs reports to the President, and not to hired petition writers. It is the President that assesses the performance of his ministers,” he said.
