Senate Chief Whip Orji Kalu has responded to his name being mentioned among those who were given contracts by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
In a statement on Monday by Emeka Nwala of Office of the Senate Chief Whip, Kalu said the NDDC was yet to pay contractors that handled the repair of roads he facilitated in Abia.
According to Kalu, the issue at stake in the NDDC has to do with missing funds and not works done, so the NDDC forensic audit should focus on the missing funds.
“The road projects mentioned by the minister are the interventions I facilitated for the communities as a private citizen before I became a senator,’’ he said.
Kalu argued that his name was mentioned because he used his letterhead to write a letter to the NDDC in 2016, pleading with the commission to repair damaged roads in Abia.
“The NDDC in their consideration which I am very grateful to, awarded the roads to companies that duly tendered for the projects and not myself.
“Whatever link I have with the projects is because it was considered due to my intervention,” Kalu said.
He listed the roads as Ezere-Acha-Ndiokoukwu road, Amaubiri-Eluama-Uru ring road and Lokpaukwu, Umuchieze Ndi Oji Abam-Atan road.
Others are Okafia-Ozuitem-Bende and Ozu-Amuru-Abam roads.
“The contractors have completed and delivered these roads long time ago except Abam-Atani road, which I learnt from the contractors was slowed down due to rain but still ongoing.
“Meanwhile, the contractors who built these roads have not been paid any dime,” he added.
Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Godswill Akpabio had mentioned Kalu, ex-governors Emmanuel Uduaghan and James Ibori, Senator Ifeanyi Ararume and others as beneficiaries of contracts awarded by the NDDC.
