Constituency Projects: Akpabio Hits Back At SERAP ... Threatens Legal Action

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By UbongAbasi Ise 

The former Senate minority leader and minister-designate, Senator Godswill Akpabio has come out with facts and figures to confront the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, over their recent call for his prosecution  on alleged diversion of constituency projects he attracted as a lawmaker to his senatorial district.
Akpabio, who described the allegations levelled against him by SERAP as mischievous and misguided, has written to the anti-corruption agencies to look into the claims raised by the group.
He said the pressure by the group for his arrest and investigation is politically-motivated, adding that the incessant calls and smear campaigns against him started shortly before President Buhari nominated him as a minister-designate.
In the letter titled: “SERAP’s Mischievous Misrepresentations Against Senator Godswill Akpabio”, the former lawmaker who represented Akwa Ibom Northwest senatorial district, listed the locations of the constituency projects, the contractors, the quantity and quality of items delivered and installed and their beneficiaries.
He said that to demonstrate his undying love for his people beyond boundaries,  he donated  an   ambulance  with medical components comprising 150 mattresses and pillows to the Cottage Hospital in Ibiono -Ibom local government area where Senator Ita Enang hails from. Others include staff executive chairs, air-conditioners etc, stressing that the equipment and facilities donated to Ibiono-Ibom local government area is situated in Uyo Senatorial District where he neither hails from nor represent.
Akpabio said he extended life-touching and transformational facilities and amenities to the third Senatorial District (Eket Senatorial District) where he built, renovated and furnished dilapidated classroom blocks with state of the art borehole and water storage facilities in   Community   Secondary   School, Udung-Uko local government area.
At Governor Udom Emmanuel’s backyard in Onna local government area, also in Eket Senatorial  District, Awa Comprehensive Health Centre received the 150 pieces of standard hospital mattresses, 300 pieces of patient pillows,300  pieces of  bed sheets  and  blankets,  150  hospital  beds,   Supply  of drugs for Primary Health Centre, 30 standard drip stands, 20 ward screen, 20 drugs trolleys, one ambulance with 10 2Hp petrol engine, six split   unit   air   conditioners,   one   wheelchair,   one   Hematology Analyzers (Abacus 380), one Chemistry (STAT TAX330), one Dectrolyte Analyzers   (IONYTL),   one   Elisa   Systems(STAT   FAX   4200,   MICROPLATE   READER),   one  Microbiology   (LISA   SCAM   EM   ERBA), one Blood   Bank   (cool storage    instrument),   one  Urianalysis Machine   (Urinanalysis   URD-DIPCHECK   240E),   one   Pharmacy Refrigerator (IPR225   HELMER   pharmacy   refrigerator),   one Biosafety   cabinet   (LAMIL   PLUS   7),   two   microscope   (BINO CULARMICROSCOPE   THEIA-1),   purchase   and   supply   of   consumables   at Cottage   Hospital,   Awa   Iman,   Onna   local   government   area   of   Eket Senatorial District, 110  pieces of Standard Hospital mattresses among others.

The former state governor said on August 8, 2018 he empowered his constituents with N250,000 each, and about 450 farmers benefited from the gesture in collaboration with Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).

He further disclosed that 1,200 men and women received N100,000 cash gift each for entrepreneurship  development of various vocations  geared towards poverty alleviation  and development  of  the  local  economy  on June   8,  2019  in  a closing ceremony of his exit from the 8th Senate.

In early January 2019, 11,600 beneficiaries obtained N10,000 each alongside start-up packs in collaboration with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and Future Assured Programme, a pet project of the wife of Mr. President, again not limited to Akpabio’s senatorial district..

Senator Akpabio said that he also gave scholarship awards to 274 students at the Independence Hall Abak with each receiving N100,000.
In its confirmation of the implementation of the projects, the Border Communities Development Agency, which is saddled with  the responsibility  of  ensuring  the  execution  of sustainable socio-economic  and infrastructural  development of  border communities  in Nigeria, which also handled some of Akpabio’s constituency projects in a letter dated July 16, 2019  with  reference number  BCDA/PDI/CONST/17 /139  through  its director   of  Projects   Development   and   Implementation,   Mallam   Farouk Maitarure, clarified that the contractor had performed the supply of the said hospital equipment in full as contained in the bill of quantities though payment by the agency is yet to be fully liquidated.
He said: “From the foregoing, it is crystal clear that Senator Akpabio has not only accomplished his mandate to justify the confidence reposed in him by his people but expanded the frontiers of benevolence for the positive transformation of Akwa Ibom State.
“Against this background, we frown at SERAP’s orchestrated cheap blackmail and brazen display of infantile mischief. We caution SERAP to refrain from allowing itself to be used as a willing tool in the hands of attention-seeking, desperate politicians.  Senator Akpabio, instead   of vilification, deserves   due commendation for his meaningful contributions to the growth and development of his people to encourage people-centred programmes and policies of government.

“We urge SERAP to ponder on the illustrative and the illuminating words of the former Prime Minister of Britain who averred that ‘truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end there it is’ and I add, unshaken as the northern star.”

He, therefore, threatened to seek legal redress against SERAP if the admonition was not heeded.

Among the top officials Akabio sent his protest letters are the chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Itse Sagay, chairman, Board of Trustees of SERAP,   chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the chairman, of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

©The Sensor Newspaper

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