The Signora Concepts Services Limited has dismissed a report claiming that it was awarded N5.5bn contract by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to supply Coronavirus personal protection equipment to the nine states in the Niger Delta region.
A group of stakeholders, Ijaw Peoples Development Initiatives (IPDI), had in a statement signed by its National President, Ozobo Austin, alleged that the company received the sum from NDDC through the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to procure the equipment describing the contract as fraudulent.
But the firm in a statement signed by its Operation Manager, Patrick Ijeomah, accused the IPDI of peddling falsehood and asked members of the public to disregard the claims.
Ijeomah said: “Our company has not been paid nor any of our account credited with any money in respect of the contract under COVID-19 contrary to insinuations being circulated in the media”.
Ijeomah explained that the commission under a former acting Managing Director, Prof. Nelson Brambaifa, earlier awarded Signora Concepts and 21 other companies contracts on Lassa Fever kits.
He said: “Some of the materials are still in the warehouse of NDDC till date. Amount paid by a former IMC Acting Managing Director, Dr. Joy Nunich, was N2.9bn and a balance of N972million still outstanding.
“Contracts had various medical accessories ranging from Lassa Fever kits, cholera vaccines and science equipment. It is not true that these items were never supplied as all the companies involved supplied the items and those items were dully inspected by officials of the commission and also distributed to the various communities.
“It will be pertinent to mention that the supply of these items became necessary due to the floods that ravaged the communities of the Niger Delta, which increased the possibility of cholera and Lassa fever outbreak and made it impossible for women in labour to deliver safely in the various community primary health centres”.
He disassociated the company from “cheap lies” saying the firm would not be part of bringing dishonour to the region.
Ijeomah advised the people of the region to join the NDDC in its quest for effective development of the Niger Delta instead of engaging in distraction and pull-down syndrome.