BOMBSHELL: Group Gives President Buhari 14-Days Ultimatum To Dissolve NDDC Interim Management Committee

Few hours after President Muhammadu Buhari, announced the extension of the tenure of the Interim Management Committee (IMC), of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), led by Professor Keme Pondei, which covers the period of the forensic audit of NDDC, earlier approved by the Federal Executive Council, under the chairmanship of the President, a group in the region has given the president two weeks to dissolve the board.

In a press release Thursday 30th April, 2020, the body known as Niger Delta Integrity and Development Group (NDIDG), expressed worries that six months into the forensic audit ordered by the president nothing has been done.

The release signed by NDIDG, National Coordinator, Ebiye Johnny, and made available to The Nigerian Voice, said the inability of the interim management committee to commence the audit, has made the Buhari-led anti-corruption fight a mockery before Nigerians and the international community.

According to the national Coordinator who is a prominent stakeholder in the Niger Delta project, "I consider it very important to draw the attention of our amiable President, Muhammadu Buhari to the shocking scandals and contracts fruads in the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC under the Interim Management Commitee IMC as widely reported in the media.

"Mr. President, when you ordered on 17th October, 2019, that a Forensic Audit be carried out in NDDC, from 2000 to 2019, virtually all the leaders and people of Niger Delta region, appluaded you".

He bereted the Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Godswill Akpabio, whom he quoted to have also promised Nigerians that between three to six months the forensic audit would have been completed.

"Also, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, whom you made supervisor over NDDC, told Nigerians that the Interim Management Committee (IMC) will complete the Forensic Audit in THREE MONTHS or maximum SIX MONTHS.

Hear him, "Mr. President, it is SIX MONTHS already, the Forensic Audit has not even started, not to talk of submitting the audit report to you. THIS IS CONTRARY TO THE PROMISED CHANGE, NEXT LEVEL AND ANTI-CORRUPTION FIGHT.

"The illegal Interim Management Commitee (IMC), alien to the NDDC Act, was hurriedly inuagurated and given a mandate to provide necessary documents for the Forensic Auditors to do their work, after which the IMC has completed its job".

Mr. Johnny who could not hold back his burning desires to see the needed change in the region for his people alleged that the nine governors from the region arm twisted the president into commissioning a body without a substantive NDDC Board in place.

"Mr. President, you were misled again, in March, 2020, as you also inuagurated the NDDC Advisory Committee made up of the nine governors of Niger Delta region, without a Substantive Board of NDDC in place.

"Subsequently, the Presidential Monitoring Committee on NDDC was also inuagurated, still with no Substantive Board of NDDC.

"In the last few weeks, there have been series of reports exposing the stealing, corruption, mismanagement, fruadulent contracts award and racketing and payments for jobs not executed worth billions of naira in NDDC since October, 2019.

"Mr. President, may be you should be reminded that you appointed Godswill Akpabio as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, and not Minister of Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC. Till date, Godswill Akpabio whom you appointed Minister of Niger Delta Affairs has not told us or given us the people of Niger Delta his plan or blue print put in place by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to be implemented in the Niger Delta region.

While expressing sadness over the development, he said: "We expect that the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, should be more concerned on transforming and restructuring the Ministry to achieve the mandate for which the Ministry was established, rather, Akpabio has been fixed on the affairs of NDDC, too bad".