Senate probes NDDC over alleged mismanagement of N40bn

The Senate has resolved to investigate the interim management committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) over the alleged mismanagement of N40 billion.

It specifically, wants the NDDC management to account for the huge sum allegedly squandered within the last three months.

At its sitting on Tuesday, the Senate set up an ad hoc committee headed by Senator Olubunmi Adetunbi (APC/Ekiti North) to investigate alleged financial recklessness by the interim management committee.

The ad hoc committee would also look into the transactions carried out by interim management within the last three months and report back in four weeks.

These resolutions were sequel to a motion sponsored by Senator George Sekibo (PDP/ Rivers East).

Sen. Sekibo had in the motion titled: “Urgent need to investigate alleged financial recklessness in the NDDC, alluded to the financial recklessness perpetrated by the management committee.

According to him, while President Muhamnadu Buhari set up the interim management committee to conduct forensic audit of financial transactions carried out by the former board of the commission, reports indicate that the interim management is guilty of same.

He added that aside the financial recklessness being carried out by the interim management committee, it is also indulging in the arbitrary sack of top management staff of the commission.

Sen. Sekibo said: “While President Buhari’s action of setting up an interim management and the forensic audit may have been conceived to forestall the financial recklessness of the commission and reposition it, the interim management has been bedevilled with the same financial misuse, misapplication, misappropriation or outright fraud in the management of the funds of the commission .

“Within the last three months, the commission has spent over N40 billion of the commission’s funds without recourse to established processes of funds disbursement, which has opened up further suspicion among stakeholders in the Niger Delta region.

“The interim management committee is also alleged to be arbitrarily using executive power to wrongful sack management staff of the commission without recourse to established civil service rules and practices .

“Consequently, the interim management has lost credibility and is seen as a financial conduit pipe based on opinions of stakeholders in the region, which therefore, urgently calls for an intervention by the Senate.”

READ ALSO: We’ll invest ‘Abacha loots’ in Mambilla Power Project, boost fight against COVID-19 – Presidency

Senators Bala Na”Allah (APC/ Kebbi South) and Ajibola Basiru (APC/ Osun Central) opposed the motiy, through constitutional point of orders, insisting that the motion contained mere allegations.

However, Senate President Ahmad Lawan, ruled both of them out of order, declaring that at the level of investigation, the veracity or otherwise of the allegations would be established

Members of the ad hoc committee are Senators Jika Haliru (APC /Bauchi Central), Mohammed Almakura (APC/ Nasarawa South), Abdulfatai Buhari (APC /Oyo North), Chukwuka Utazi (PDP /Enugu North), Ibrahim Hadeija (APC /Jigawa North East) and Degi – Eremienyo Biobarakuma (APC /Bayelsa East).