Fred Itua and Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Senate, yesterday, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to dissolve the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and set up a board for the commission despite the ongoing forensic audit.
The upper legislative chamber also indicted the IMC over alleged misappropriation of funds earmarked for the development of the oil-producing region and asked it to refund all “unjustifiable funds” paid to staff of the commission.
The Senate said the refund should cover the period between October 2019 and May 2020, when the IMC was constituted by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio with the approval of President Buhari.
Lawmakers who took their turns to speak at yesterday’s plenary described the NDDC as a cesspool of corruption and called for drastic actions to reverse the trend.
This comes exactly two weeks after the acting Managing Director of the NDDC, Kemebradikumo Pondei, admitted that the commission spent N1.5 billion for staff as ‘COVID-19 relief funds.’
He made this statement at the investigative hearing on the N40 billion corruption allegation against the commission.
A report read by the chairman of the Ad-hoc committee investigating the misappropriation of funds in the commission, Olubunmi Ayodeji, called for the reconsideration of executive oversight of the NDDC. The Senate also resolved that the control of the NDDC should be reverted to the Presidency in line with the laws establishing it.
It frowned at the supervisory role of the Niger Delta Ministry, arguing that it cannot play the role of board members even as it noted that spending without the framework of a budget was not helpful to the NDDC.
“In order to ensure results, oversight of forensic audit should be transferred to the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation,” the report said.
According to the report, NDDC spent N85.7 million on overseas travel to the United Kingdom; N105.5 million on scholarship grants; N164.2 million on trips to Italy by union members; N1.96 billion on Lassa Fever kit; N1.12 billion on public communication and N1.49 billion on COVID-19 relief.
Smart Adeyemi, in his remarks, called for the amputation of the arms or life imprisonment for convicts in financial fraud.
He said since the current system was not working, it was time to take a more drastic action to put a stop to the growing trend, where public officials pilfer with funds meant for infrastructure development.
Meanwhile, the Senate has mandated its committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to investigate claims that some lawmakers benefited from contracts awarded by the Commission.
The committee is expected to submit its report within the next four weeks to enable the Red Chamber take a decision on any lawmakers found culpable in the allegation.
Akpabio had last Monday, when he appeared before the House of Representatives Ad-hoc committee investigating alleged financial corruption in the NDDC, claimed that over 60 per cent of contracts in the agency were awarded to members of the National Assembly.
Though Akpabio, in a letter addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, yesterday, denied he was referring to members of the 9th National Assembly, the Senate said it was going ahead with its investigation of the claim.
Ex-agitators back probe
A coalition of Niger Delta ex-agitators has backed ongoing probe of the NDDC by the National Assembly.
The group, in a statement by the chairman, Amnesty Phase II, Delta State Chapter, Chief Kingsley Muturu, described the probe as long overdue and urged the National Assembly to go ahead with its investigations and end “the drama by those called to give account of their stewardship.”
Muturu also want the lawmakers to probe the utilisation of constituency project funds allocated to members of the National Assembly from the Niger Delta region.
“All we want is for the National Assembly to get to the root of the issues at stake. In NDDC, there are no harmonised interests, rather we have the varied interests of those who are only interested in lining their pockets to the detriment of the masses of Niger Delta. Every appointee in NDDC unfortunately represents a private interest. The only way forward is to remove those interests. Let whoever that is appointed Managing Director of NDDC or the Niger Delta Minister be allowed free hand to run the place so that the people would know whom to hold accountable when there is a problem.
“As the Commission is presently constituted, it will be difficult to hold one individual responsible, because whoever you see as the MD of the commission, is under immense pressure. We know these things because we are from there and we have our ears on the ground. For instance, in my Bomadi Local Government, we have those who have been representing us in the commission, yet you cannot see any good road, no potable water, no rural electrification and this lack of basic amenities has exacerbated the security situation, not only in my local government area, but also in the entire Niger Delta.”