NDDC: After N15 tn Allocation, Niger Delta Children Walk Through Rivers To School |The Source

By Ola Samuel

A viral picture on the internet showing young school children walking through the river to their schools has elicited more criticism for the management of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC over the mismanagement of trillions of naira allocated to the interventionist agency since it was created 20 years ago.

Nigerians watching the ongoing probe of the NDDC at the National Assembly have come hard on its management, past and present for embezzling huge funds allocated for the development of the oil bearing states.

BudgIT Nigeria, a transparency organisation has accused the managers of the Commission of mismanaging over N15 trillion allocated by various administrations since its creation in 2000.

Two years ago, President Muhammadu Buhari was so livid with the sleaze in the agency that he approved a forensic auditing of its spending.

In spite of this, the commission has lately be in the eye of the storm following stark revelations that the Interim Management Team, IMC appointed to supervise the agency, pending the appointment of a substantive management, have also dipped their hands into the coffers of the multi-billion agency.

Angry Nigerians have called for the repeal of Act setting up the Commission, while others insist that the appointment of honest Nigerians into its board will turn its fortune around.

The probe by the Senate and House of Representatives committees have not exonerated the lawmakers either, many of whom were believed to have collected contracts worth several billions without executing them.

A senator named in the scam was said to have collected over N3.5 billion for the supply of plastic chairs for the commission. He never did, neither returned he, the huge funds collected.

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio on his part was alleged to have approved 30 contracts, for the clearing of water hyacinth in the Niger Delta to himself, on his first meeting with the IMC led by Joy Nunieh.

Apart from this, over N80 billion was alleged to have been spent by her successor, Professor Kemebradikumo Pondei within six months of his appointment without approval.

Pondei however collapsed on Monday when he was being grilled by the House Committee on Niger Delta.

Meanwhile, many Nigerians are calling on President Buhari to make sure that his administration get to the bottom of the mismanagement of funds in the NDDC; punish those involved in the sleaze and ensure that men and women appointed to head the agency are those of proven integrity.

This will not only ensure that the suffering people of Nigeria’s oil bearing areas experienced development, funds allocated to NDDC in the future will not end up in the hands of corrupt and selfish political leaders, watchers of the ongoing probe say.