Senator Peter Nwaoboshi in Alleged N3.4b Fraud, Contract Violations

Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, representing Delta North and chair, Committee on Niger Delta Affairs should have been arrested over fraud and contract inflations.

This is going by the provision of sections 24 and 27 of the public procurement Act No 65 of 2007, which stipulates for Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, to have been arrested, charged and tried following the mammoth allegations of fraud, contract inflation violation of the public procurement Act, flagrant abuse of office and embezzlement of public funds to the tune of N3,483,144,00 (Three billion, four hundred and eighty three million, one hundred and forty-four thousand naira meant for the procurement of plastic desks and chairs for primary and secondary schools in 9 (Nine) oil producing states in Nigeria in the 2016 appropriation of the NDDC, TheConscienceNG reports.

The above monumental revelation was revealed against Senator Peter Nwaoboshi by Raymond Ebigoni Edgar, SA on Media to the Acting MD NDDC in a statement sent to this online newspaper on Friday, 7 August.

According to Edgar, “in all these allegations, it was learnt that the tenders Board of NDDC was never consulted before the award of the contracts to 15 different companies having links to Senator Peter Nwaoboshi through proxies, friends and relations.”

READ MORE: Group Frowns at Inconsistencies in NASS Probe of NDDC

Excerpt of the Statement:

Our investigations reveal that contrary to the provisions of section 24(1) of the public procurement of goods and works by procuring entities shall be conducted by open competition bidding and section 27(1) of the same Act provides that all bids in response to invitation to open competitive bidding must be submitted in writing, in addition to any other format stipulated by an official authorized to bind the bidder to a contract and placed in a sealed envelope. It is worthy of note that there was no open competitive bidding in line with the provisions of the law.

For the avoidance of doubt, these are the 15 (fifteen) companies and has contracts were awarded to them:

I. BenchMark Construction & Projects Limited which got a contract for the procurement of plastic desks and chairs for primary and secondary schools in Abia for the sum of N 232,209,600 (Two Hundred and Thirty two Million, Two hundred and nine thousand, Six Hundred Naira).

II. Milestone Allied Builders Limited and Edendoma Stars International got the sum of N232,209,600 ( Two Hundred and Thirty Two Million, Two Hundred and Nine Thousand, Six Hundred Naira each for the same purpose in Akwa-Ibom State.

READ MORE: N40 billion Probe: NDDC Exposes More Lists of Contracts Awarded to NASS Lawmakers

III. Isumabe U.K Global Ventures, Nelpat Nigeria Company and Edrihide Company also got the sum of N232,209,600 (Two Hundred and thirty two Million, Two hundred and Nine Thousand, Six Hundred Naira each also for the procurement and supply of plastic desks and chairs for primary and secondary schools in Bayelsa State.

IV. In cross River State, the same contract and contract sums N232,209,600 (Two Hundred and thirty two Million, Two hundred and Nine Thousand, Six Hundred Naira were awarded to Antlers Construction & Allied Works Limited, same goes for AGH- Rown Ventures and NOAN integrated services limited each for the same amount in Delta State.

V. In Edo, Imo & Ondo States respectively, the same contract for the procurement and supply of plastic desks and chairs was awarded to De-Towers Construction & Allied Services, Eastern Wrought Iron Limited and Franstine Nigeria Enterprises respectively for the same N232,209,600 (Two Hundred and thirty two Million, Two hundred and Nine Thousand, Six Hundred Naira each.

READ MORE: EXPOSED: ‘Most NDDC Contracts Are Handled By Members Of National Assembly’ – Akpabio

VI. Investigations revealed that Bench Mark Construction & Projects Limited with RC. 925180, milestones Allied Construction and Allied Works Limited with RC. 925188 and De-towers Construction & Allied services with RC. 925182 were all registered on the same day; December 3rd 2010 with plot 3011 B, Kwranakh Close, Maitama Abuja.

This is the same address for Golden touch Construction projects Limited used by senator Peter Noeloka Nwaoboshi to illegally acquire the 12 – storey building at 27 Marina road, Apapa also known as “Guinea House” belonging to the Delta state government

The National Assembly’s probe of the activities of the Niger Delta Development Commission Interim Management Committee has unearthed a cesspool of corruption allegations of varying dimensions against Nigerian federal lawmakers.