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Resulting from the dissolution of all the MDAs, some groups and stakeholder across Nigeria and the Niger Delta region have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to freeze without delay accounts belonging to Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC to check theassivr looting on going in the commission.
The group in collaboration with a transparency group, the League of Nigerian Democrats (LND), through the National Coordinator, Barr. Yomi Adelakun said that between January 2023 to 31st March 2023 the Management of the NDDC received about N140 billion and spent it on unverifiable contracts.
They also urged the President to set an example and direct the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, and Mr. Olufunso Adebiyi, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to disassociate themselves from alleged claims of being compromised and paid millions of US dollars in an alleged bribery scheme to ensure that the dissolved Management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) remain in office despite the President’s directive on board dissolution and for them to hand over to the Most Qualified Civil Servant Director in line with their hierarchy of seniority.
According to the group, “We have it on good authority that the management of the NDDC have already processed about N12 billion for the past year 2022 flood palliatives for payments right now, and they are waiting for these payments to drop. Solar Contracts are urgently being awarded and mobilisation payments paid without following BPP due process. Therefore, we urgently call on President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct the Central Bank of Nigeria to immediately freeze all of the NDDC’s TSA accounts to stop this alleged fraud, because our nation can not continue to borrow billions of dollars only to be stolen by political appointees.”
Pointblanknews.com reported that the Presidency ordered that the most qualified Director will automatically become the Chief Executive Officer of the board, who will refer matters requiring the attention of the Boards to the President, through the Permanent Secretaries of their respective supervisory ministries and offices.
Speaking on the alleged N140 billion received by the Commission and which has been frittered on unverifiable contracts, the group claimed that these figures were submitted by the NDDC to the Previous Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Niger Delta and also made available to journalist during one of their board meetings by the immediate past Chairman of the dissolved NDDC board, Mrs. Lauretta Onochie.
“The commission received these funds from the federal government disbursements, ecological funds, and with majority of the funds coming directly into the commission’s TSA account as remittance for percentage payments from crude oil sales by the oil and gas companies, however, since 31st March 2023 to date, the N140 billion has probably doubled close to N300 billion,” the statement said.
“Within the past few days alone, the NDDC has lost billions of naira to alleged last minute fraudulent payments. We believe that it is from these alleged fraudulent proceeds that members of the NDDC management team are boasting and proudly stating to have allegedly compromised the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, and Mr. Olufunso Adebiyi, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs using millions of US dollars in an alleged bribery scheme to ensure that the dissolved Management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) remain in office despite the President’s directive on board dissolution.”
“We have it on good authority that the dissolved management of the NDDC have already processed about N12 billion for the past year 2022 flood palliatives for payments right now, and they are waiting for these payments to drop. Solar Contracts are urgently being awarded and mobilisation payments paid without following BPP due process. Therefore, we urgently call on President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct the Central Bank of Nigeria to immediately freeze all of the NDDC’s TSA accounts to stop this alleged fraud, because our nation can not continue to borrow billions of dollars only to be stolen by political appointees.”
The dissolved board members and chief executive officers were all appointed and screened by the National Assembly as members of the same board, and on the same platform constituting the governing board in their respective agencies, therefore the President’s directive is clearly referring to the Most Qualified Civil Servant Director who will automatically become the Chief Executive Officer that will refer matters requiring the attention of their Boards to the President, through the Permanent Secretaries of their respective supervisory ministries and offices.