N11.5b smuggled into NDDC’s proposed 2020 budget- IMC

IMC –N11.5bn contracts have been smuggled into the budget of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Interim Management Committee (IMC) alleged.
The Acting Executive Director, Dr. Cairo Ojuogboh, said the contracts termed as “non-essential contracts” were for supply of desks and chairs to schools in the Niger Delta region.

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In a statement on Sunday, Ojuogboh by NDDC Corporate Affairs Director, Charles Odili, queried the rationale behind the “N11.5bn non-essential contracts” for the 4,800 chairs and desks, wondering where they would be deployed in the region.

Due to this, the commission had to petition the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, over the non- supply of 4,800 benches and desks by seven contractors.

In his petition to the IG, Pondei alleged that seven contractors were paid N232,209,600 each for 4,800 chairs and desks that were not supplied to the commission but to a private warehouse in Delta State.

According to Pondei, the warehouse operator had refused to release the chairs and desks to the commission, thereby denying schools in the region their use.

The petition dated July 29, 2020 and tilted “Re: Forwarding of documents in respect of on-going investigation” was sighted by The Nation in Abuja.

It reads in part: “The commission has already forwarded some documents to you in assisting with your investigations.
“In addition to the documents given to your team, I hereby forward the attached documents to you.

“In or about 2017, the commission awarded contracts to certain companies for the production of desks and chairs for primary and secondary schools in the Niger Delta. The list of the companies is attached.

“The contracts were awarded in furtherance of the commission’s education sector mandate as learning condition in the region.

“Instead of supplying the chairs and desks to the commission’s warehouse in Port Harcourt or to any of the NDDC offices in the nine Niger Delta states, the contractors supplied them to a warehouse….”

He said: “This year alone, they put N11.5billion in the budget for the supply of desks and chairs to schools in the Niger Delta region. Where are the schools that you are going to put N11.5 billion worth of chairs and desks in the region?” He however did not state the budget in question since that of 2020 is yet to be passed by the National Assembly.

“We will visit all the locations because no payments will be made until our engineers, quantity surveyors and the Project Monitoring and Supervision (PMS) have approved.”

Ojougboh also clarified that when Pondei led IMC, they only paid for verified jobs that were done over the years.

He also reassured that the 29-kilometre Ogbia-Nembe Road with spurs linking 14 communities in Bayelsa State would soon be inaugurated.