- Anti-corruption Group Raises Alarm…Makes Fresh Revelations
- Claims NDDC’s IMC Squandered N9bn In August Alone
President Muhammadu Buhari and anti-graft agencies in the country have been urged to immediately freeze the bank accounts of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to forestall an alleged fresh round of spending spree that the Commission’s IMC is allegedly set to embark on this week.
An anti-corruption group, Act for Positive Change which has made several revelations on the alleged financial impropriety going on in the NDDC made the demand Monday.
In the fresh revelations, Mr. Kolawole Johnson, the group’s Head of Directorate of Research, Strategy and Programme, said the President and the National Assembly should act fast in freezing the Agency’s account as plans are underway for it to make secret payments during the course of the week.
Read also: NDDC’s N81.5bn Fraud: How Akpabio Faced Reps’ Cross Examination
Johnson in a statement worried that despite the flurry of revelations his anti-corruption group has made in recent months, federal government was yet to put a stop to the reported bleeding of the NDDC by the members of the Interim Management Committee who have been under fire for several financial infractions under their watch.
Revealing further, the group claimed that in the last one month, the NDDC’s IMC has allegedly frittered away another N9 billion, including the N5.8 billion allegedly spent on a controversial desilting project.
The group’s statement reads: “In the last nine months, over 28 professionals have volunteered their time, energy, skills and resources to expose the monumental corruption enduring at the Niger Delta Development Commission(NDDC). While it is discouraging to suspect that government’s body language appears to be promoting, rewarding and protecting corruption in this case, recent development, notwithstanding, shows truth is gradually prevailing.
Read also: Probe: More Discord Recorded As CBN, OAGF, NDDC Clash over N2.1bn Media Expenses
“Today, again, we inform the Government and all relevant stakeholders, that, we have uncovered another plan by the commission to make some fraudulent secret payments this week that will further set the commission aback. This same alarm was raised in June, 2020 via a letter to the leadership of the National Assembly that was made public, about 20 Billion Naira was carted away barely one month thereafter (as at July 28th), including payments on desilting against the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari, largely due to poor response to the alarm raised. The details were given in our letter to the President on August 5th, which was released as a briefing for that month.
“The commission has gone ahead to squander additional 9 Billion Naira thereafter, in the last one month. This includes reckless spendthrift of 5.8 Billion Naira on fraudulent emergency desilting on the 29th of July, 2020, alone when the nation was on holiday. They were so in a hurry that they moved out same amount purportedly for different locations and different scopes of job. i.e Emergency clearing and desilting of Ipinle Ajenrela creek, Igbokoda (lot 3) –N634,761,500.00 (Six Hundred and Thirty-Four Million, Seven Hundred and Sixty One Thousand, Five Hundred Thousand Naira), Emergency clearing and desilting of Akaibiri creek, Yenagoa – 634,761,500.00 ( Six Hundred and Thirty-Four Million, Seven Hundred and Sixty One Thousand, Five Hundred Thousand Naira), Emergency clearing and desilting of Ilar Creek, Igbokoda (lot 2) – 634,761,500.00 ( Six Hundred and Thirty-Four Million, Seven Hundred and Sixty One Thousand, Five Hundred Thousand Naira), Emergency clearing and desilting of Temetan Creek, Igbokoda (Lot 1) – 634,761,500.00 ( Six Hundred and Thirty-Four Million, Seven Hundred and Sixty One Thousand, Five Hundred Thousand Naira).
Read also: How Pondei, Others Collected 30% Of Payments From NDDC Contractors –Senate Report
”Others include: Emergency clearing and distilling of blocked canal from Ilaje High School Naval Base fishing Terminal, Igbokoda (Lot1) – 634,761,500.00 ( Six Hundred and Thirty-Four Million, Seven Hundred and Sixty One Thousand, Five Hundred Thousand Naira), Emergency clearing and desilting of Yewa Creek, Okitipupa (Lot1) – 634,761,500.00 (Six Hundred and Thirty-Four Million, Seven Hundred and Sixty One Thousand, Five Hundred Thousand Naira), Emergency clearing and desilting of Ipinle Koforawe Creek, Igbokoda (lot 2) –N634,761,500.00 (Six Hundred and Thirty-Four Million, Seven Hundred and Sixty One Thousand, Five Hundred Thousand Naira). Then the last on the roll on that same day, Urgent clear desilting of blocked sections of Ibelebiri waterways, Ogbia (lot 2) – 739,071,500.00 (Seven Hundred and Thirty-Nine Million, Seventy-One Thousand and Five Hundred Naira). Details of all the companies that served as conduit for these payments are readily available. The movement of same disbursements was also not out of traces.
“8th of August, despite the outcry against the “1.5 Billion Naira Palliative to take care of themselves”, the commission abused the nation further by spending another 340 Million Naira (Three Hundred and Forty Million Naira) on self for “EMERGENCY INTERVENTION AGAINST THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS AMONG COMMISSION’S WORKFORCE”. Every staff or appointee of the commission that received the money into their private accounts should be made to refund. They are: Okpozo Edgar (23.6 Million), Akopunwane Stanley (23.6 Million), Fobruku Monica (23.6 Million), Oputa Philomena (23.6 Million). Others are Akpabio Idara (20.96 Million), Margaret Ala (20.96 Million) Okezie Irene (20.96 Million). Also, Ironbar Linda (20.06 Million), Bello Mary (20.06 Million), Chidinma Lily (20.06 Million), Agala Asela (20.06 Million), Ojigbare Nancy (20.06 Million), Umezuruke Anthony (20.06 Million), Imoni Ahuna (20.06 Million), Anako Ajumoke (12.91 Million). A senior director in the commission, who was recently led to the bank to refund his share of the scholarship fund surreptitiously looted, also received 25 Million into his private account from the above emergency COVID-19 largesse.
Read also: Uneasy Calm In N’Delta Over NDDC’s N81.5bn Scandal
“Many other fraudulent payments were made in the month of August under review, including additional payment of 123 Million Naira to Julius Dinga Ltd, on the 18th of August, bringing the total payment on this singular contract scam to 624 Million Naira to the same company.
”A look at the nominal roll of the commission confirms the alarm on secret employment ongoing in the commission. The management recently employed over 50 contract staff without following civil service rules and guidelines.
“Some of these new intakes without required skills or experience were placed as assistant director without competence test or needs assessment.”
However, another group while reacting to this development dismissed the allegations as baseless and without basis. The group, Initiative for Sustainable development(ISD) insisted that Kolowale Johnson is merely raising an alarm.
It said: ” that group is raising an alarm. We are watching the NDDC as well and we believe that the agency cannot take that whole money out of its coffers this critical period. We urge all civil society bodies to also be on the watch out for false statements. How can you say NDDC took that whole large sums from its account this last August alone. I don’t believe that story.”
On our part, we want Johnson to be more diligent in his account because this is like trying to attack and condemn the Pondei-led team and discredit it as unserious.
