NDDC forensic audit: Ex-agitators seek sanctions against indicted persons

Nathan Tamarapreye, Yenagoa

Leaders of ex-agitators in the Niger Delta region on Saturday advocated the publication of the forensic audit on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to expose those who were complicit.

Speaking for other leaders after an emergency meeting of ex-agitators, Nature Dumale, explained that making the identities of such persons public would act as a warning to others seeking to do business with the commission.

Dumale commended the leadership style of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Umana Umana and congratulated the board, which has Dr Sam Ogbuku as the Managing Director and Lauretta Onochie as the chairperson.

She further appealed to the new board to win the hearts of the people by naming politicians, contractors and firms, that were accused by the report of mismanaging their engagements with the commission.

Dumale, who is also the Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) Strategic Communication Committee (SCC) appealed to the board to initiate an inquiry into how former Interim Administrators of the commission spent about N300 bn that accrued to the NDDC within his tenure.

He noted that publishing the audit report with indicted persons and probing the N300bn expenditure would earn the confidence of the public and prove that it would no longer be business as usual.

He insisted that the Niger Delta, which owns the NDDC, deserved to know the outcome of the audit initiated by President Muhammadu Buhari with the consent of major stakeholders and conducted with money that accrued to the commission.

He dismissed claims that publishing the identities of such persons would amount to blackmail and insisted that it would instead act as a deterrent to others and strengthen the corporate governance policy of the commission.

Dumale said: “As much as we are happy that after a long time, we now have a credible board on ground to pilot the affairs of the NDDC, it is important to also say that we cannot waste money and time investigating the activities of the commission without publishing the result of such an expensive exercise.

“People want to see the report. They want to see people punished for their negative role in under-developing the region by collecting money for contracts they never executed.

“The minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Obong Umanah Okon Umanah had alleged that N300 billion was frittered away by the past leadership of the NDDC. This allegation and the sum involved are too weighty to be ignored.

“We call on the Lauretta Onochie-led board to set up a panel to look into what such money was used for. This is the only way this board can curry support from the people.”