Former Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), has accused Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Niger Delta affairs of sexual harassment, saying she once slapped the minister for molesting her.
Nunieh in an interview with Arise TV, on Monday said that the incident took place at the minister’s guest house in Abuja.
She noted that her reaction to the molestation showed her zero tolerance for “nonsense” as a Rivers state woman.
Nunieh said, “Why did he not tell Nigerians that I slapped him in his guest house at Apo? I am the only woman that slapped Akpabio. He thought he could come up on me. He tried to harass me sexually.”
“I slapped him. He tried to come on me. I am an Ogoni woman and nobody jokes with us. I showed Akpabio that Rivers women do not tolerate nonsense.”
The erstwhile NDDC MD also alleged that Akpabio tried inflating NDDC budget.
She said the minister directed her to include some projects from the refugee commission in the budget of the NDDC.
“Akpabio wrote me to put a list of projects from the refugee commission in the budget of NDDC. Refugee commission is another federal government commission for IDPs,” she said.
“How do you tell me to put some of their projects in the NDDC budget when we have so many things to do in the Niger Delta? How do you explain that?” Nunieh and Akpabio have been trading allegations after an inquiry was instigated by the senate ad hoc committee, scrutinizing the alleged misappropriation of N40 billion by the interim management committee (IMC) of the NDDC.
Akpabio had denied involvement in management of the commission’s finance under Nunieh by claiming she refused giving him briefings.
But Nunieh alleged that the minister masterminded her removal for failing to succumb to his orders.
“When we first came to the NDDC, on the day of going for the inauguration, he told me in the car that Madam MD, If you don’t do what I say, the same pen which I use to sign your letter, it will be the same pen I will use to remove you,” she had said.
Nunieh had also claimed that Akpabio asked her to change the dollars in the NDDC account; sack the head of the legal team who is from the north; remove all directors who refused to follow his instructions and also to implicate Peter Nwaoboshi, chairman of the senate committee on NDDC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqQo26O0Hsc
Source: The Cable