Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions announced on Wednesday that it had summoned the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr Umana Okon Umana, for allegedly trying to execute projects not appropriated by the National Assembly.

Chairman of the panel, Senator Ayo Akinyelure, stated this at a news conference in Abuja.

He said the committee had met and resolved that the Minister should be invited based on the strength of a petition against him. The Senator added that the committee had agreed to ensure that the matter was accorded
an accelerated hearing.

He said the Minister is expected to appear before the panel on November 10 by 2pm. Akinyelure said details of the allegations contained in the petition had been forwarded to the Minister.

Giving further details on the petition, Akinyelure said the petitioner alleged that the Minister was aiding corrupt practices and had failed to inaugurate the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission.

He said the Minister was also accused of try- ing to replace the sole administrator of the NDDC, Mr Effiong Akwa, who was duly appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari and confirmed by the National Assembly.

He said removing the sole administrator would be detrimental to the interest of the people in
the Niger Delta region The Chairman said the Minister was also expected to explain why he decided to sack over 100 staff of the NDDC.

Akinyelure said the Minister was accused of allegedly pursuing his agenda against that of
the Niger Delta region.

He said that Umana, based on the petition, was compiling projects not appropriated by Buhari to get N480bn funds from the agency domiciled in the CBN.

He said the N480bn was contributed by the International Oil Companies for the use of NDDC and the Minister was allegedly going behind the back door to get the money out.

He said, “We want the President to stop the Minister because the projects he had allegedly compiled, were not appropriated for by the National Assembly.

“Our people in the Niger Delta region where funds are being generated for the country are in a state of comatose.

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“The President has in his wisdom deemed it fit to appropriate funds to the Niger Delta region but the minister has refused to bring the appropriation before the National Assembly for us, the democratically elected representatives of the people, to approve but they have refused to do so.

“There is a lot of higher level mismanagement of resources due to developing the Niger Delta region. Whenever I decided to invite them, they will give that excuses the order to get by changing people who will be able to dance to their tune and will be able to different areas of
perfect fraud.

“We’ve come to realise we believe that Mr. President has done his best. But those he appointed as he said, as aides and ministers mare frustrating the anti-corruption agenda of the president.

When this petition was received gainst the Minister of the Niger Delta Region “He has been a commissioner in the Akwa-Ibom government; there has been a secretary to the government of the state of acquirable. His CV was loaded. That we gracefully approved his confirmation was asserted action in the Senate. But today, he has resumed work. The first thing he did was to sack Nigerians.

“On his assumption of Office, the people of Niger-Delta Data are whose mandate is been appointed as the Minister of legal affairs. He sacked over 100 to compound the problem of Nigerians, we have received documentary evidence to back this allegation.

“He is there in the Niger Delta Affairs Ministry to pursue so personal agendas, instead of pursuing the agenda of the people of the Niger Delta region.

“Mr Umana Okon Umana, this press conference is a confirmation of the resolutions of the committee of Senate on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions of the Senate of the 9th Assembly to invite you to come and
defend these allegations, including you plot to send away the sole administrator appointed by Mr. President of the nation, and confirmed by 109 democratically elected senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
for you to send him packing and now put somebody who will listen to you are sink
Nigeria money.

“We are giving you a fair hearing to come on the 10th of November to come on defending these allegations and say no that you are you never do any attempt to remove the appointee of Mr. President.

“We are entering an election year, this is the fear of Niger Delta people. We are entering an election year. We have less than seven months for Mr. President to say bye-bye to Nigeria and he has a legacy to prove that he loves.”

The Senator added that the Minister had failed to submit the 2021 and 2022 budgets of the NDDC for perusal.

He said, “Why must the budget of 2021 and 2022 be held by the Minister by collaborating with some people who do not love the people of the Niger Delta region not to bring his budget to the National Assembly when we are ready to pass the budget of NDDC?

“The budget of other similar against this in the northern part of Nigeria has been brought by their ministers and it has been approved.

“There is what for N480bn funds in a CBN account. Umana Umana has said to have perfected ways to present some new projects to President Muhammadu Buhari to approve for him to start using the money to implement the project that is not appropriated by National As- sembly.

“We are said Mr President is a law-abiding citizen democratically elected by bigger top Nigeria several years ago. The power of appropria- tion is conferred on the National Assembly, not on Mr. President.

“Mr. President will only give approval for service Wide Votes when the money appropriated by the National Assembly is not adequate to implement some projects meant for a particular, state or region.

“But in this case, the minister is alleged to have that budget back 2021 and 2022 budgets, so nothing is going on there.”