Elder Godsday Orubebe, Minister of Niger Delta Affair was at his controversial best when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission to throw more light on the Niger Delta Coastal road network project. He characteristically went off the tangent attacking the management and leadership of NNDC.

The Minister who doesn’t suffer fools gladly threw decorum to the wind as he attacked the NDDC Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Chibuzor Ugwoha over what he (Orubebe) perceives to be the cause of the delay in developing the region. To be sure, the unauthorized suspension of the MD/CEO of NDDC penultimate week by the board which has since been denied by Presidency didn’t matter to the Minister who obviously has an axe to grind with the M.D.

The Minister was invited to the Senate Committee to speak more on the coastal road project, but instead, he grabbed the opportunity to vent his spleen on Ugwoha when he said “the Federal Government is six months behind schedule on this project because of the activities of one man and some other persons”. To further express his hatred for Ugwoha, he told the Senate Committee to “look critically into the matter and punish anyone found guilty severely…..because of the activities of one man and some persons who have stalled development in the region”.

In making the statement last Tuesday, it did not matter to the Minister that the purported suspension of Ugwoha by the Board had been rendered unconstitutional null and void because it did not follow the due process of law which established the Commission. Under the act, the Board cannot suspend MD and Executive Directors except by order from Presidency.

Curiously, aware of this breach, the Minister and his co-travelers apparently mindful of the backlash effect of their illegal action were quick to release the news to the media with a deceptive cover that it was ordered by the Presidency. However, with the statement from the Presidency denouncing their involvement in the suspension saga, Orubebe couldn’t contain his disappointment, hence his outburst at the Senate on Tuesday.

This same Orubebe whose nomination as minister was twice rejected by President Umaru Yar’Adua is a veteran in political bungling and controversy.

At a time like this, when President Jonathan is going into elections, Orubebe should be careful about how much enemies he’d be courting for Mr. President. Political observers would not forget in a hurry the October 1st bombings in Abuja and the allegation by Henry Okah (MEND leader) that a close top aide of President Jonathan had called him to deny knowledge of the deadly blasts which claimed 12 lives. Orubebe was quick to deny his involvement.

Again the recent $50,000 bribe allegation by Pastor Tunde Bakare’s Save Nigeria Group (SNG) is also traced to Orubebe. If President Jonathan knows what his friends think of him about open association with his God father ex-President Obasanjo, he would be careful to have curious controversial to aides like Orubebe hanging around him and making more enemies for him at a time like this.

After all, it’s widely believed that the charismatic former US Vice President Al Gore lost to George Bush in the 2003 Presidential election because he allowed his boss ex-President Clinton to lead his campaign at a time the public rating of his former boss was at his lowest in the US. By the time Gore realized the damage, it was already too late.

The call for probe by Minister Orubebe is self-serving. The big issue at stake is the over One Trillion Naira budget of the coastal East-West road project was previously designed to be executed by the Commission. This project which predates the arrival of the Niger Delta Ministry was part of the NDDC Master Plan. But with the creation of the Niger Delta Ministry, interest groups and experts continued to make representation to the Presidency that the Commission though an interventionist agency, is ill-equipped to handle a project of that magnitude.

But no sooner as Orubebe became the substantive Minister early this year, trouble started over agitation for the transfer of the project from NDDC to the Ministry. Hear him, “When I became Minister (Niger Delta) I discussed with the President on the coastal roads, it was at this point that I was told that NDDC Managing Director had met with the President. I met with the Managing Director and he said contractors had done only 15% of the job”. 

Not minding the obvious display of arrogance and still regaling himself at the expense of his exalted office, Orubebe (thumping his chest) emphasis mine, said the matter was taken promptly came up with a report that the “terms of reference issued by the NDDC for the project, was inadequate and could lead to failure”.

Still smoking with “holy” anger, the Minister further disclosed his interest thus: “The contract was done in-house; it did not go through due process, no cost, and no time line”. “When memo was brought before Federal Executive Council, NDDC brought some bundle of papers overnight claiming that the job had been done up to 80%. Am shocked that those of them at NDDC are doing what they are doing. What Nigerians expect from us is integrity”.

But it did not matter to Orubebe that two experts who were involved in the project – Engr. Emeka Eze, Director-General of Bureau of Public Procurement and Arc. J.J. Etteh, NDDC Executive Director (Project) was at the session. Sources at the meeting disclosed that it took the calm-headed Arc. Etteh to explain to the Committee that indeed the work done had taken over 80%. Etteh explained that their intention at the time the letter was issued to the consultants in 2008 was to design the road and hand it over the Ministry because of the huge financial outlay which he said is far beyond the NDDC. Eze blamed the whole thing on administrative gap that was not bridged when the Ministry was established in 2008.

“There was an administrative gap that was not handled, if it was done, we would not have been at this level” Eze said. Whatever this administrative gap, the two sides must sit down at a table and trash out all the issues and stop the current blackmail derby at the expense of the suffering people of the region.

Terry Justman Imama is a Port Harcourt based Public Affairs Analyst and Media  Support Consultant.