Outrage in the Niger Delta stems from the disenchantment that the NDDC, which is supposed to be the bedrock of coordinated and sustainable development for a marginalized region, has been captured by mindless and avaricious political elites. NCDC
of N81.5 billion currently rocking the Niger Delta Development Commission . Outrage in the Niger Delta stems from the disenchantment that the NDDC, which is supposed to be the bedrock of coordinated and sustainable development for a marginalized region, which is environmentally despoiled for feeding the nation, has been captured by mindless and avaricious political elites within and outside the Niger Delta.
To reverse the grim picture of the pitiable state of the Niger Delta, the NDDC was established primarily to drive the process of policy formulation and guidelines for the development of the Niger Delta area.
NIETI had observed in its 2007-2011 audit of an instance when a total number of 22 projects were duplicated in the projects’ schedule with a total contract sum of N1.18 billion, mobilization payments of N370.70 million, interim payment certificates issued to the tune of N156.81 million and mobilization recovered on IPC’s of N93.09 million.
Various stakeholders, including governors in the Niger Delta states, Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, among other, have expressed disgust over alleged financial scandal rocking the commission under the leadership of Professor Kemebradikumo Pondei’s Interim Management Committee , which is being supervised by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Godswill Akpabio.
The governors have reiterated that both the forensic audit and the National Assembly investigation should continue and be concluded with dispatch so that the NDDC could quickly return to its role of advancing and protecting the developmental aspirations the people of the marginalised region. He explained that hearing that billions of naira were spent on frivolous things and contracts that break basic decency and ethics are awarded to those who should have oversight function over the NDDC was distressing. To this end, he recommended the recall of all legislators involved in the contract scam and that they be held accountable by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Commission and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission .
“As with all rape, we must all stand up and say ‘No!’ The rapists should face the full force of the law. Beyond the immediate sanctions, however, we must go through an attitudinal restructuring that makes all citizens see any rape of our resources as morally reprehensible. The grand corruption manifesting in the NDDC is mirrored by petty corruption in various other walks of life, public and private.
UNDEDSS affirmed further that the coalition was not interested in salacious allegations made by any of the players in the ongoing drama, concluding that all that the Niger Delta wants is that justice be done, and stolen loot recovered. “The funds injected into NDDC cannot be compared to the money used to develop Dubai,” Sara-Igbe said. “NDDC has got more money than what was spent in Dubai, but up on till now, we are still living in squalor. This is very shameful; there is no basic infrastructure you can see in the oil-bearing communities of the region. You have seen the kind of primary schools we have in Ofoima, Belema and other oil-bearing communities in the region. It is very unfortunate.
But the former spokesperson of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People , Mr. Legborsi Esaen, the silence in some quarters of the Niger Delta, despite all that is unfolding, is suggestive that NDDC was established to ‘settle’ some elder statesmen, major stakeholders, and militant activists in the region.
“We state that such contraption is illegal and alien to the Act that set up NDDC,” he stated. “Why Mr. President has chosen the path of perfidy on this matter leaves us confounded indeed. There is absolutely nothing that says that the substantive board/management of NDDC cannot superintend over a forensic or any kind of audit of NDDC.”
“It is unfortunate and all the blame should go to President Buhari for allowing this show of shame. The way forward is to immediately dissolve the IMC, sack Akpabio as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, and transfer the supervision of NDDC back to the office of Secretary to Government of the Federation. Then the forensic audit should be under the direct supervision of the presidency, who should inaugurate the substantive board of NDDC that has been cleared by the National Assembly.
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