NDDC Throws Another Bomb, Says NASS Shared Over N7bn For COVID-19 |The Source

By Tosin Olatokunbo

The ongoing war of attrition between the NDDC and the National Assembly has worsened following Cairo Ojugbo’s revelation the lawmakers shared over N7 billion as COVID 19 palliatives.

Senators and House of Reps members, he said, were paid N20 million and N15 million each to cushion the effects of the pandemic after the federal government announced a total lock-down of the country in March this year.

Ojougboh is the Executive Director, Projects of NDDC and had been grilled, alongside the managing director and the Niger Delta Minister, Godswill Akpabio by the National Assembly over alleged mismanagement of funds belonging to the Commission, among which is the N5 billion shared by the management and staff of the interventionist agency to cushion the effects of the pandemic.

“In the National Assembly, each of the senators got N20 million, while the House of Representatives members got N15 million for COVID-19 from the National Assembly. They all received COVID19 allowances,” Ojougboh told journalists in Abuja

There are 469 members in assembly, bringing the total amount allegedly shared to N7,580 000,000 (seven billion, five hundred and eighty million naira.)

The agency under Professor Kemebradikumo Daniel Pondei  has variously blamed the lawmakers for NDDC misfortunes after receiving multi- billion contracts, many of which have not been executed.

The revelation, yesterday that the lawmakers awarded themselves billions of naira worth of COVID 19 palliatives may further worsen the cat and mouse relationship between the two foes and a new vista in the counter allegations has been opened, watchers of events say.

The former lawmaker who blamed the deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege for the crisis rocking the agency, insists that the National Assembly is trying to truncate the ongoing audit of the agency, to further entrench the corruption that has rocked it for many years.

According to him “Mark you, the National Assembly sabotaged, through the instrumentality of the Chairmen of the House and Senate, they sabotaged … if you give them to report, they will say you did not bring performance report. We brought everything that they’ve asked us to bring, but they used the budget as the instrument of blackmail.

“So they have blackmailed the nation and the Niger Delta in the last 20 years, that is why you see that you cannot go to the Niger Delta today and see ten kilometres of dualised roads done by the NDDC, no. What do you see, 500 meters here, 200 meters there and all of them one billion each”, he said.

“It has started. Why are we here if it has not? The National Assembly wanted to truncate it, they said they will not pass our budget. You know the forensic audit is in two stages; we have procured the lead auditors and they are at work, they have all the files of all the contracts at the NDDC from inception till date.

“The second stage is to send the various auditors to each of the states, the National Assembly people know that’s where they are culpable so they stopped our budget, but the President said the forensic audit must continue that he will fund it.

“The lead auditors have finished their initial job, they have written their report, now each of the states will have one auditor looking at all the contracts and projects in it.

That’s what we came here for today. These auditors will now go back to the states tomorrow, once we finish here today and the Council approves it.”

Last week, President Muhammadu Buhari approved over N700 million for the forensic audit of the problematic agency.