From Joseph Obukata (The New Diplomat’s N’Delta correspondent)
A group of leaders, elders and stakeholders in the Niger Delta region, on Wednesday, said they are not interested in the salacious allegations being made by actors in the unfolding probe of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), declaring “all the Niger Delta wants is that justice be done, and stolen loot recovered.”
The Niger Delta leaders spoke after an emergency virtual executive meeting held under the auspices of the United Niger Delta Energy Development Security Strategy (UNDEDSS), Wednesday July 22, 2020.
Recall a columnist had recently accused leaders in the region, including militia groups and youths organisations of maintaining sealed lips in the face of the alleged maladministration, corruption and embezzlement of funds accruing to the NDDC.
Read also: NDDC Probe: NASS Set To Decide Akpabio, Others’ Fate Today
The national assembly has been probing the spending of over N81.5 billion by the NDDC’s Interim Management Committee allegedly expended fraudulently between January and May this year including contract scams rocking the commission.
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio who has been in the centre of the messy scandals as supervising minister of the agency and officials of the NDDC’s IMC, including its MD, Professor Daniel Pondei and former MD, Joi Nunieh have all appeared before the senate and House of Representatives probe panels.
The commission is also facing a presidential forensic auditing.
Arising from its meeting, the leaders and stakeholders, under the aegis of UNDEDSS, condemned in strong terms, the financial recklessness and impropriety which it says had characterised the activities of NDDC and the governments of the Niger Delta.
Read also: N75bn Allegedly Looted By NDDC’s IMC, Not N40bn, Group Says It Uncovers Fresh Revelations
The group said that it had overtime threw its weight behind President Buhari’s moves to purged the interventionist agency of corruption but would not want to be involved in the ongoing accusations and counter-accusations by the key players in the financial scandals.
The group said that what the Niger Delta is yearning for is justice and refund of its looted funds from those who had stolen them.
Mr. Tony I Uranta, the group’s Secretary General, in a statement said, “UNDEDSS has repeatedly decried the quantum of corruption that has become the trademark of the NDDC and the governments of the Niger Delta.
“We have been totally in support of the current renewed anti-corruption stance and directives of President Buhari; especially the demand that a comprehensive forensic audit be carried out as directed by Mr. President, and, that those indicted be made to face the full consequences of criminality in courts of law.”
The group, therefore called on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that the comprehensive Forensic Audit he ordered the Interim Management Committee IMC to execute, is speedily carried out without tainting the process, or further shortchanging the region.
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The statement, however, said that the Niger Delta leaders and stakeholders demand a forensic audit that would be witnessed by internationally recognised credible organisations, with the representatives of the police, NFIU, EFCC, and DSS as observers in the first instance.
They also demanded that the name(s) of the forensic auditors be made public to Nigerians.
“UNDEDSS went further to state that it has, for many years, shouted that whilst treacherous indigenes of the region have been very corrupt regarding their dealings with the NDDC (both as NDDC Boards, Executives and Contractors).
“Most of the sleaze has been possible mainly because of the complicity and directives from both members of the National Assembly and the senior actors in the Abuja Executive; and, that the recent unfolding facts are confirming UNDEDSS allegations!
Read also: Buhari Orders Agencies, NASS To Expedite NDDC’s Probe
“We agree that the Senate and House hearings are statutory, but prefer that the NDDC be subjected to the forensic audit ordered by the President”, Uranta posited.
The UNDEDSS scribe, reiterated that at the end of the forensic audit, those indicted should be treated by the police and anti-corruption institutions as “the mere despicable criminals they are, and thus be arraigned before the courts of the land.”
