Contrary to the allegation that the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology has swept under the carpet the alleged N400 million scam involving the then acting Director General of the National Biotechnology Agency (NABDA), Alex Akpa, the Minister, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has denied the allegation.

The Minister was reacting to a Freedom of Information request sent to his office by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) on behalf of 36 other affiliates.

The Minister alluded to the ongoing investigation of the alleged scam in NABDA by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) as the reason why he will not say whether the former DG would be prosecuted or not.

Dr Ogbonnaya Onu responded in a letter dated January 20, 2021 but received on February 3, 2021 by HURIWA, and endorsed on behalf of the Minister by Mrs. U. Odu-Thomas, the Ministry’s Director of Legal Services, titled ‘RE: ON PROFESSOR ALEX AKPA: A REQUEST FOR CLARIFICATION’.

The letter read: “I am directed to acknowledge receipt of your letter on the above subject matter and respond accordingly.

“I am further directed to inform you that in your request, you alluded to the fact that this matter is still the subject of an ongoing investigation by Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

“Consequent upon the provisions of Section 12(1) vi of the Freedom of Information Act, the Ministry is precluded from revealing information that will obstruct an ongoing criminal investigation.

“Please, accept the assurances of the Minister’s best regards.”

Recall that HURIWA had accused the federal government of sweeping under the carpets several cases of alleged disturbing corrupt practices by ‘favoured’ top public officials.

The rights group also alleged that the Federal Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has refused to investigate the allegations that an unnamed top official of the ICPC secured employment slots at the embattled National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) under the then acting Director General Professor Alex Akpa so as to grant soft landing to the now dismissed head of the agency over alleged heist of N400 million.

On the NABDA corruption fiasco, the rights group said the secrecy surrounding the release from detention of the said sacked acting DG of NABDA by the ICPC for over a month and the non-disclosure of the status of that matter which apparently has not been charged to court fuels the allegations obtained from an intelligence source embedded within the management of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) that a lot of hurriedly packaged employment slots were allotted allegedly by the then acting DG when he acted for two years in anticipation that should there be need to be called to answer charges of financial impropriety that the ‘big masquerade’ with a lot of influence within the ICPC could grant him soft landing.

HURIWA has asked the nation’s Chief Law Officer to use his powers to investigate whether there is any credibility or believability in the intelligence provided to us by some very top directorate officials at NABDA.

“We had confronted the disgraced erstwhile acting DG of NABDA Professor Akpa with this intelligence but he flatly denied it as an act of falsehood against him by his enemies hunting him out of office. However, HURIWA thinks the AGF/MINISTER of Justice should find out why the ICPC has been silent on the accusations they publicly made against the dismissed acting DG of NABDA Professor Alex Akpa for over one Month since his widely publicised detention from which he immediately secured a bail and till date no word has been said if the alleged disappeared N400 million has reappeared.

In a statement by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director Ms Zainab Yusuf, the rights group said the Minister of Science and Technology Dr Ogbonnaya Onu has also been petitioned to address the public on the allegations against his nominee who couldn’t secure the substantive appointment as DG of NABDA Professor Alex Akpa.