The minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, has denied saying that most Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) contracts were awarded to lawmakers.

Akpabio had been accused of alleging that 60% of the contracts in the commission was awarded to lawmakers, The Nation reports.

However, in his submission on Thursday, July 23, before the House of Representatives, the minister stated that he only mentioned the percentage in response to a question directed at him by a member of the committee.Akpabio maintained that the NDDC has not executed any project since 2020 since, according to him, it had not been passed, while the 2019 budget was passed in April and is yet to be implemented.