CSO defends NCDMB, calls whistleblower allegations ‘fabricated lies’

A civil society organisation, Niger Delta Civil Society Coalition (NSCDC), has condemned the George Uboh Whistleblowers Network for invoking the Freedom of Information Act and the Fiscal Responsibility Act to request documents on alleged financial mismanagement in the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB.

NSCDC urged sponsors of the George Uboh Whistleblowers Network to desist, saying there was no financial mismanagement in the NCDMB.

The group’s representative, Comrade Amechi Ogbonna, who reacted to a letter signed by the Chairman of the organisation, George Uboh, and dated February 21, 2025, expressed sadness over the move and said they had no knowledge of how things work at the NCDMB.

Uboh, in a letter addressed to the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Omatsola Ogbe, had requested that all documents related to allegations of approved N7.7 billion for consultancy services and over N580 million for a five-day training programme in London, UK, including logistics and allowances, be provided within seven days or face court action, protest and any legal action.

Uboh partly stated: “You have seven days to furnish the requested documents else your failure to comply shall be construed as acquiescence in which case we shall petition the requisite agencies and approach the court to compel the agencies to investigate and prosecute any culpable officer at NCDMB, stage protests in NCDMB Abuja and Bayelsa offices, among other legal remedies available to us.”

Meanwhile, Ogbonna, in a statement, described as fake the George Uboh Whistleblowers Network, saying the allegations against NCDMB were unfounded.

He stated: “NCDMB board has dismissed these patently false allegations in a widely circulated press statement. The purveyors of this evil campaign have gone ahead to recruit unsuspecting journalists across some national media to continue to peddle their lies.
For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to restate that: neither the board nor the executive spent the amount stated in the headline of the referenced statement.

“NCDMB organised a strategic workshop with heads of ministries, departments, and agencies of government that pertain to the oil and gas industry to interrogate and find areas of alignment in the implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010, in line with our Nigerian Content 10-Year Strategic Roadmap’s enabler on stakeholder collaboration and engagement.

“The workshop is held every two years and involves the leadership and senior management of those critical agencies, with a view to ensuring a harmonious policy and regulatory implementation by all agencies and institutions connected with the NOGICD Act implementation.

“Due process was followed and all expenditures in relation to this strategic workshop and other projects of the Board were made in accordance with approved financial and procurement guidelines.”