Irked by the putrefying stench of massive corruption in the Niger Delta
Development Commission (NDDC), an interventionist agency, militants of
the oil and gas region are currently demanding a Presidential purge of
the commission.
The Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC) of the plural militant groups in
the polluted oil region in a statement this Friday by their
Spokesperson, Cynthia Whyte, is demanding for an immediate and total
overhaul of the NDDC and a complete removal of the current acting board
members.
The Niger Delta armed rebels have also taken note of the ongoing
investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and
the anti-graft agency’s memos to several Nigerian banks requesting that
transactions from NDDC be contained and questioned.
But, the militants are not satisfied with measures so far taken by the
EFCC. Whyte in her statement said they believe that the anti-corruption
agency was not doing enough about the rot in the NDDC.
Earlier in the month, top members of the NDDC board were invited to the
offices of the EFCC to answer to the growing number of petitions
accusing them and top staff of ”large scale corruption, grand theft,
reckless embezzlement and outright mismanagement” of the resources of
the development commission.
According to the militants, ”in the past few months, the increasing
reports of brazen corruption, grand theft, reckless embezzlement and
large scale mismanagement across the various interventionist agencies
that are supposed to cater to the challenges of the Niger Delta have
become intensely mind-boggling.
”The NDDC for instance has been the worst hit and has become the
principal center of attention. From contract racketeering (where are
contractors are forced to pay upfront sums in dollars), grim nepotism to
outright diversion of funds, hundreds of billions of naira has been
looted from the coffers of the commission aided and abetted by an
incompetent board.
”NDDC has become a conduit pipe through which billions of naira meant
for the development of the Niger Delta is being channeled to the pockets
of disgruntled politicians and their cronies.”
Continuing, the militants added, ”those who are robbing the Niger Delta
and its people must be identified, shamed and punished. They are
corrupt, intensely incompetent and stupid.
”An intervention agency set up to cater to peculiar challenges of the
people of the Niger Delta should not be converted to an opportunity
center for hungry politicians and desperate cronies.
”Any re-constituted board must be made up of tested, trusted and
competent technocrats who understand the challenges of the people of the
Niger Delta and will not be subject to the whims of political masters
and players.
”A word is enough for the wise.”