The ongoing corruption probe into the activities of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC took a dramatic twist on Thursday when the Senate called on the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the commission to refund the N4.923 billion payments, made to staff and contractors.
They held that the payment was in breach of the procurement process and called for an immediate refund into the NDDC’s Account with immediate effect.
This development is coming on the heels of the adoption of recommendations of the Senate Ad Hoc Committee investigating the alleged misappropriation of N81.5 billion by the current IMC presented to the Senate by the Committee’s Chairman, Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi representing Ekiti North Senatorial District.
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A breakdown of the refund included N85.7million for Overseas Travel to the United Kingdom, N105.5 million for Scholarship grants, and N164.2 million for Union Members’ trip to Italy
Other refunds to be made to the NDDC’s Account by the IMC include N1.96 billion as payment made for Lassa Fever Kit, N1.12 billion for payment for Public Communication and N1.49 billion COVID-19 fund.
The recommendations approved by the Senate also indicated that henceforth, the NDDC should report directly to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The committee also called for the dissolution of the IMC and set up a board for the commission. They also recommended that oversight of the forensic audit should be transferred to the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, to ensure transparency.
It urged the Federal Government to appoint a renowned auditor to supervise the forensic audit.
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It recommended the strengthening of the NDDC’s procurement department through appropriate staff engagement, by appointing staff with procurement chartered status, improved staff training among other policies on the procurement process.
They lamented that the continued cash injection in the Niger Delta has not worked under the various IMCs.
Similarly, the Senate recommended a review of the corporate social responsibility of the NDDC, adding that it was difficult to find a correlation between the Niger Delta community development and the cash invested in the zone.
