A Civil Society Organisation, under the aegis of Niger Delta Movement for Peace & Justice, NDMPJ, has commended members of the National Assembly for setting up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the alleged N40billion fraud levelled against the Interim Management Committee (IMC) in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
National Coordinator of NDMPJ, Comrade Etifit Nkereuwem in a statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Uyo, said his organisation had long expected the National Assembly to take action against the
Interim Management Committee which was inaugurated without backing in line with its oversight function.
Nkereuwem regretted that the reason behind President Buhari setting up the IMC and forensic audit to end the financial recklessness and properly reposition the Commission to achieve its mandates in the region has failed.
His words, “We are in strong support of the National Assembly to investigate the allegation of mismanagement of over N40bn in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
“We view this as a welcome development and a wake-up call on our elected representatives to always formulate and execute policies and programmes that will promote the socio-economic well being of our people, particularly the poor masses.
“The Niger Delta Development Commission was established by Act No. 6 of 2000 as an interventionist agency to undertake among others the economic transformation environmental protection, infrastructural development, and prosperity of the people in this neglected region.
“We, therefore, urge the members of the National Assembly members to remain firm in this national assignment and rise as Patriots, Democrats, nationalists, and custodians of the People’s mandate against this clear case of injustice, abuse of power and corruption”
Nkereuwem recalled that when President Muhammadu Buhari met with the South-South Governors on Thursday, October 17, 2019, led by the immediate past governor of Bayelsa State, His Excellency Seriake Dickson, he (Buhari) had expressed his disappointment over the poor performance of the NDDC despite huge financial provisions and therefore ordered a forensic audit of the Commission.
He also recalled that Civil Society Organisations in the Niger Delta region, as well as many well-meaning Nigerian citizens, had kicked against the inauguration of IMC without the backing of the law and had insisted on the inauguration of the nominees for the Governing Board of the NDDC, screened by the National Assembly.
” It is in the interest of our democratic governance that we totally align with the National Assembly in its bid to ensure order, probity, and accountability in the Commission through a proper investigation into this misrule.
“We pledge our unalloyed support and loyalty to the Democratic administration of President Buhari We equally call on all, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government and all Law-abiding citizens of this country to accord the National Assembly the necessary support”, he stated.
