By Fola James
The contract scam rocking the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC is getting worse by the day.
It was recently revealed that the Commission mismanaged over N40 billion aside the allegation of sexual harassment against the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio by former interim managing director of the agency, Joy Nunieh has somehow put the agency on the spot.
But on Tuesday, the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, further inflicted a terrible wound on the agency following the revelation that the Commission illegal spent N81.5 billion between January and July 2020.
The breakdown of the N81.5bn, according to the House Committee on NDDC, investigating the alleged scam include community relations, N1.3bn; condolences, N122.9m; consultancy, N83m; COVID-19, N3.14bn; duty tour allowances, N486m; imprest, N790.9m; Lassa fever, N1.956bn; Legal services, N900m; maintenance, N220m; oversea travels, N85.6m; project public communication, N1.121bn; security, N744m; staffing related payments, N8.8bn; and stakeholders engagement (Feb 18 – May 31, 2020), N248m.
To make things worse for the Professor Daniel Kemebradikumo Pondei-led management, the Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP also said it did not issue ‘Certificates of No Objection’ to the procurement made by the commission with the money.
The revelations were made Wednesday during the investigative hearing by the House Committee on NDDC.
Recall that Mrs Nunieh accused the minister of approving contracts without due process.
The interim management committee also shocked Nigerians when the managing director revealed during one of the hearings that a whopping N1.5 billion was spent as COVID 19 palliatives for top management staff.
Anthony Anyine, Auditor-General of the Federation, also said the NDDC had yet to present its audited account for 2019 since it was due at the end of May.
Chairman of the committee, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said the lawmakers will get to the bottom of the alleged financial scam in the agency.
The committee chairman said, “Obviously, we have grilled the BPP and they will be coming back tomorrow for finalisation of their submission. And from what we have seen, so many of the contracts so awarded were above NDDC’s approval threshold as itemised by the BPP.”
