Niger Delta Crisis: Contractors threaten to burn down NDDC facilities over N2.6M debt

The Niger Delta region of Nigeria may be in for another round of crisis as contractors to the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC has threatened to vandalize all the facilities installed by it in the region unless they are paid.

At the resumed investigative hearing of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on NDDC Abandoned Projects on Wednesday, the Chairman Niger Delta Construction Consortium Chief Jasper Jumbo threatened that he will burn down every single facility installed by the NDDC until a debt of N2.6 million owed him is paid.

The septuagenarian a contractor and stakeholder in a presentation to the Committee expressed disappointment at the injustices and mismanagement of resources on the part of NDDC management saying that they ‘ve been unfair to the region in term of infrastructure.

He told the Committee that he has been a contractor of NDDC right form the days of OMPADEC and added that the agency has been owing him N2. 6 million contract debt on a job that it had issued him certificate of completion for over six years.

He also said that he has evidence to nail a former Executive Director of Finance of the agency who demands 10% of any contract sum from any contractor that bidded for a job in the commission.

Chairman of the Committee Hon. Ossai.Nicholas Osai had earlier queried the Acting Managing Director Dr. Enyia Akwagaga and other officials of the agency for their involvement in a N61.4 billion contract awarded by it without completion.

The lawmaker said that a report from the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation to the Committee reveal that N70.4 billion was paid to 1723 contractors by the agency and they abandoned the projects.

The Committee helsman later summoned all the commission’s past Managing Directors notably Nsima Ekere and Timi Alaibe and Executive Directors of Finance of the agency to appear before the Committee on Friday

He said that available documents submitted to the committee had shown that some people still sign contracts after leaving office.