Coalition seeks probe of unaccounted N90.9b NDDC fund

Civil Society Coalition on Audit in Nigeria (CSCAN) on Tuesday asked the Public Accounts Committees of the National Assembly and anti-corruption agencies to investigate 176 contracts awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) between 2008 and 2018.

It said that N90.9 billion which was a part of the contracts’ budget had yet to be accounted for.

CSCAN comprises Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative (PLSI), BudgIT Foundation, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Dataphyte, Step Up Nigeria, Accountability Lab, Centre for Health, Equity and Justice (CEHEJ), Basic Rights Watch, Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) and some media executives in the country

PLSI Executive Director, Olusegun Elemo; BudgIT’s Deputy Manager, Tolutope Agunloye and Country Director, Accountability Lab – Friday Odeh, spoke for the coalition during a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday.

Elemo stated that based on data from 2008-2012 and 2013-2018 Audit Report on NDDC, it was obvious that the N90.9bn was yet to be accounted.

He added many of the projects had physically verified and while many were abandoned, some were poorly implemented and others not executed at all.

According to him, a review and analysis of available data by the coalition and ground assessment of project sites conducted revealed how wasteful and insensitive the NDDC had been managing resources belonging to Niger Delta people.

Elemo said: “We have visited many of the project sites, we have pictorial evidence, we have identified the companies involved as well as beneficial ownership details.

“All we are asking the National Assembly Public Accounts Committees, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to do is take a professional, detailed and investigative look at this evidence and recover the funds.

“There can be no other explanation to what has happened at NDDC between 2008 and 2018 than the fact that those entrusted to manage the commonwealth of the Niger Delta people had intentionally deprived them of the much-deserved development.”

Elemo, therefore, urged the two chairmen of committees on Public Accounts in the National Assembly, Senator Matthew Urhoghide and Oluwole Oke as well as the leadership of ICPC and EFCC to ensure that justice was served to the people of Niger Delta and by extension Nigerians.

Agunloye of BudgIT’s noted that over N500 billion was earmarked as statutory allocation to improve the development of the region between 2008 and 2018.

He lamented that the current state of some communities in the region was not representative of the allocation.

His words: “To execute its projects and programs, NDDC receives annual statutory allocations from the country’s federal government and an annual levy of three per cent of the total annual budget of oil companies in the country.

“It also receives grants and other forms of support from International Development Agencies.

“However, despite the expenditure of approximately $40 billion on capital projects by the NDDC since its inception, the commission has failed to realise its 15-year master plan for the rapid development of the region.”

Odeh of Accountability Lab said: “Only a modern audit law can help Nigeria effectively prevent corrupt behaviour such as seen with the NDDC in recent years.

When contacted, NDDC’S Director Corporate Affairs, Dr Ibitoye Abosede, said the issues would be cleared whenever the National Assembly invites the commission to appear before it.

“Whenever the National Assembly invites us we will appear and clear it. They always invite us on matters like this. It is a normal thing. So we are waiting for them, “ he added.