NAPEP Shares 4,012 Tricycles …Protests Senate Committee’s Allegation

High Chief O.B Lulu Briggs and his wife, Dame Senye, during the birthday celebration of Prof T.J.T Princewill, Amayanabo of Kalabari and chairman, Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, at King Amachree Square Buguma, last Saturday. Photo: Egberi Sampson

The National Poverty Eradication Programme, (NAPEP) has so far delivered 4,012 tricycles to help alleviate suffering of the citizens.
The tricycles, according to NAPEP are part of the 5,000 including spare parts for which a N2.4bn contract was awarded.
In a statement by NAPEP’s head  of Publicity, P.A Onuoha, the agency notes that contrary to allegations by the Senate Public Accounts Committee, against NAPEP all due process were followed in the award of the contracts.
According to NAPEP, the agency obtained the necessary letter of no objection from the Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit as well as the Federal Ministry of Finance before awarding the contract .
Besides, the statement noted that the contract had been executed with the delivery of the said 4,012 Keke NAPEP with spare parts while the remaining 988 arrived Nigerian ports but were mistakenly classified by Customs as overtime cargo due to port congestion at the time.
It contended that NAPEP never sold any Keke-NAPEP through any Abuja based  contractor.
The agency said it had already applied to the Comptroller of Customs to release the consignment which will complete the total number of 5,000 tricycles for which the contract was awarded.
The agency also said it had observed with dismay the misinformation that NAPEP does not want to appear before the Senate Committee on matters arising from Federal Auditors report, adding that NAPEP operates with all sense of responsibilities in matters relating to poverty alleviation in the country.
NAPEP then called on the Senate President to ensure the agency is given a fair hearing in view of this campaign of calumny and destruction being led by senator Ahmed Lawan against NAPEP and its National co-ordinator, Dr Magnus L. Kpaokol.
It would be recalled that the Senate Committee on Public Accounts  ordered the arrest of the NAPEP National Co-ordinator, Dr Maguns Kpakol on the grounds that he ignored the committees invitation to explain flaws in the N2.4bn Keke-NAPEP project.
In the report for 2007, the Auditors-General had disclosed that the agency spent the N2.4bn meant for purchases of Keke- NAPEP as poverty alleviation strategy of government without due process.
Besides, the Senate Committee alleged that NAPEP also spent N150 million for spare parts that were never supplied.