The apex Ijaw socio-cultural group, Ijaw National Congress (INC), has stated that any further delay in the inauguration of a substantive board for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is a betrayal of trust.
The INC made this known in a statement signed by its President Prof. Benjamin Okaba on Friday.
According to the group, since the submission of the NDDC audit report to President Muhammadu Buhari, he has not said anything.
While calling on the federal government to make the outcome of the audit report public, INC stressed that six years into the administration of Buhari as President, the NDDC has been without a substantive board, despite public concerns and condemnation.
The statement reads in part: “The INC considers it as a huge integrity test and task on Mr. President to immediately submit the Forensic report, undiluted to the corridors of public domain with the guarantee of free and easy access by anyone that cares, in line with the Freedom of Information Act.
“The ljaw nation is dissatisfied and displeased with the mere mention of figures such as 6trn spent on the NDDC and many others that when weighed and compared with figures from other available benchmarks published earlier by the External auditors and the office of the auditor general, exhibit clear discrepancies and confusion of data.
“Why deemphasize the over 1.3trn owed the NDDC by the FGN? Why no mention of the over 600bn paid to emergency contractors between January 2021 and August 2012 while genuine contractors are still owed several billions of naira?
“Why the passage of the NDDC budget with a provision of N452.2BN in December 2020 when the NDDC had received only 194bn as at that date?
“To allay the fears that the Akpabio orchestrated NDDC Forensic Audit will not turn out to be another scam or instrument of witch-hunting, intimidating and blackmailing perceived enemies and to further short-change the ljaw nation, we demand the immediate publication of the Audit report with highlights on the achievements, strength and weaknesses of the NDDC and recommendations going forward.
“For purpose of transparency and accountability, we also would like to know how much was expended on this audit.
“The federal government should make the outcome of the forensic audit public including publishing the names of those culpable in the mismanagement of the funds of the NDDC and abandonment of projects over the years.
“The INC frowns at the secrecy with which the outcome of the forensic audit is being handled. The people of the Niger Delta region deserve to know every detail relating to the report of the forensic audit.
“The INC also insists that there should be no cover-up or sacred cows in the implementation of the outcome of the forensic audit.
“All the persons culpable irrespective of class, creed and political affiliations should be brought to justice without fear or favour.
“Going forward, the federal government must stop the practice of using the NDDC as a political patronage agency which is controlled and managed from Abuja instead of by the people of the Niger Delta region.
“The NDDC going forward must be accountable to the people it was created to serve and not those in positions of authority in Aso Rock.”
