President Muhammadu Buhari says law enforcement agencies
have recovered over N3.7billion as well as various assets worth billions of
naira from contractors and former directors of the Niger Delta Development
Commission (NDDC).
According to a statement issued by Femi Adesina,
presidential spokesman, on Tuesday, the president disclosed this at the
inauguration of NDDC advisory committee, comprising the nine governors of the
Niger Delta region and the ministers of Niger Delta affairs and environment.
‘‘To date, the EFCC and other agencies of Government have
recovered over N3.7billion in cash as well as various assets worth billions of
Naira from some contractors and former Directors of the Commission,” the
president said.
‘‘Furthermore, I am told that Government agencies have
placed liens on over N6 billion of assets which are being investigated.’’
Buhari told the committee that these abuses of the past
clearly show the need for strict and diligent oversight, going forward.
He asked them to discharge the new assignment diligently and
effectively, working closely with the relevant ministries, adding that he
looked forward to seeing positive changes in the affairs of the commission as
well as on the ground in the Niger Delta region.
The president recalled that in 2016, his administration
launched the “New Vision for the Niger Delta (NEVIND)”, aimed at bringing
sustainable peace, security, infrastructure and human capital development to
the region.
He said the medium to achieve this noble objective was
through the ministry of Niger Delta affairs, NDDC and the Presidential Amnesty
Programme (PAP).
The president, however, expressed regret that in the past
these institutions were unable to deliver their mandates owing to
mismanagement.
‘‘As a result, the people of the Niger Delta were left with
abandoned infrastructural projects and substandard social programmes which were
designed to improve their living conditions,” he said.
‘‘It is to reverse this trend that I approved, in February 2020,
the constitution of a 10-Man Presidential Monitoring Committee (PMC) as
provided for in Section 21 of the NDDC Establishment Act.’’
He said the PMC, which will be chaired by the minister of
Niger Delta affairs and its members drawn from various MDAs, will focus on
monitoring the operations and activities of the commission, and will be
reporting to him.
In November, Cairo Ojougboh, NDDC acting executive director
of projects, said a sitting Nigerian senator was handling 300 of the
commission’s project.
Ojougboh, who did not name the senator, said 120 of the
contracts have been fully paid for, saying that the contracts are being
investigated.
Buhari had ordered a forensic audit of the operations of the
commission from 2001 to 2019.
The president said the directive became imperative in view
of the persistent criticisms of the operations of the commission.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com