A group, the Ijaw Consultative Forum, (ICF) Ondo State chapter, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to inaugurate the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) board since the commission’s forensic audit has been submitted to him.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Chairman of the group, Suffy Uguoji, who said with the submission of the forensic audit to President Buhari, nothing should further delay the inauguration of the board.
Uguoji stated that the president while receiving some delegates of Ijaw National Congress (INC) promised to inaugurate the already screened and confirmed Board of NDDC without delay.
The ICF Chairman said the delay will further encourage the sole administrator to remain in office to mismanage and unilaterally spend the commission’s fund.
The statement read: “We strongly demand that President Mohammadu Buhari should as a matter of importance and urgency, inaugurate the NDDC Board since the forensic audit report had been submitted to him by the minister of Niger Delta affairs Senator Godwill Akpabio through the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr Mallami over a month ago.
“It will be recalled that President Buhari on June 24, 2021, while receiving a powerful delegation of Ijaw National Congress (INC) led by its president, Prof Benjamin Okaba, promised to inaugurate the already screened and confirmed Board of NDDC on conclusion and receipt of the report of the forensic audit committee to look into the activities of the commission.
“The Federal Government also reiterated this position during the inaugural ceremony of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NDDC to oversee the activities of the commission pending the completion of the Audit report.
“We are aware that the minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godwill Akpabio, received the report from the audit team in his office on Monday, August 9, 2021, which was later submitted to the presidency through the Attorney General of the Federal and Minister of Justice, Mr Mallami.
“It is therefore incumbent on the federal government and the Ministry of Niger Delta affairs which is charged with the responsibility of overseeing the activities of NDDC to go the whole hog to ensure that the board is inaugurated urgently to put an end to all the manipulations.
“The orchestrate rigmaroles characterizing NDDC since the last board was dissolved is taking its toils on the development of our communities and it is capable of heightening tension and unrest which we are managing the maintain – the peace prevalent in the area.”
The group said “Once the board is inaugurated, we are sure it will ensure fair representation of the nine constituent states and proper management of the fund of the commission in line with the provisions of the act establishing the agency.
“Our people have suffered a great deal of neglect due to the absence of their representatives in the management of the commission which is being administered by an impostor called a sole administrator to foist on us by the presidency.
“We want to state unequivocally that the delay is encouraging to perpetrate the illegal sole administratorship contractions to continue to remain in office to mismanage and unilaterally spend the commission’s fund.
“It is a clear fact that since Oct 2019 to date, the commission has received a total sum of not less than N750 billion without a single project to show for it.
“We wish to emphasise here that our major concern now is how the board will be inaugurated without further delay and not the report of the audit committee knowing fully well that it is the board that will be called upon to ensure that justice is done to the outcome of the report.
“It is against these backdrops that we call on the President of Ijaw Nation Congress (INC) Prof. Benjamin Okaba to concentrate on how the board will be inaugurated rather than calling on the Federal government to make the report on audit committee public.
“This approach amounts to putting the cart before the horse which in essence is an invitation to a situation that is topsy turvy adding that we will be pursuing shadow while the image is there.
“In the absence of the board the mechanism for checkmating large scale fraud is no more there and the sole adminsitratorship contractions which are not known to the law that established the commission are at liberty to perpetrate anything unwholesome.
“We are aware that the Federal government, in the first place has no cart blanche to appoint a sole administrator to oversee the commission when the law does not recognise it.
“We may be tempted to take the federal government to court to step the sole administrator from acting further of the presidency continues to prolong the delay in inaugurating the board.”
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