The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) said yesterday that the multi-million naira medical equipment meant for a cottage hospital at Ukana in the Essien Udim local government area of Akwa Ibom State were recovered from the premises of Mma Obot Foundation, allegedly owned by a ministerial nominee and former senate minority leader, Mr. Godswill Akpabio.
It would be recalled that state commissioner of ICPC, Mr. Shola Shodipo, had said last month that the items including a dialysis machine, two 15 KVA generators and infant incubators ought to have been delivered to the hospital since March 2018.
In a statement signed by ICPC spokeswoman, Ms. Rasheedat Okoduwa on Thursday, August 1, the commission said: “The CPTG assessment and review of constituency projects across Nigeria by the commission and its partners – Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Bureau of Public Procurement, Budget Office of the Federation, Premium Times, BudgIT and Udeme.ng – is aimed at ensuring satisfactory execution of all constituency projects across the country.
“It has so far led to multiple recoveries of items, hospital equipment, vehicles and funds. It has also forced many contractors, who hitherto had abandoned projects, to return to site to complete them.
“Among the recoveries so far made by the CPTG team are dialysis machine, ECG monitor, oxygen regulator, anaesthetic machines, generators and other hospital equipment meant for a cottage hospital in Ukana, Essien Udim local government area of Akwa Ibom State, from the premises of Mma Obot Foundation, alleged to belong to Senator Godswill Akpabio.”
In addition, ICPC said it recovered six tractors from a farm belonging to Senator Isa Misau, who represents Bauchi Central Senatorial District.
It said the tractors were meant for the use of farmers in six local government areas of senatorial zone but the farming equipment were not delivered to the farmers as indicated in the Constituency Projects credited to Misau.
The ICPC said the tractors were part of items meant to be bought from the sum of N430m to help farmers in his senatorial district.
“The tractors formed part of the N430m contract for the supply of pumping machines and other agricultural machinery to farmers in the senatorial district, which was awarded in 2015 by the Federal Government as part of the senators’ constituency projects across the nation.
“The CPTG team for Bauchi discovered that N76.6m was paid for the tractors in December 2015 and supplied in March 2016. They were supposed to have been distributed for the use of farmers in each of the six local government areas in the senatorial district that included Misau, Dambam, Ningi, Warji, Darazo and Ganjuwa. It was found out that the tractors had obviously not been distributed as required in the terms of the contract,” it added.
