ALLEGED N40BN RECKLESS SPENDING: BISHOP, GROUPS THROW THEIR WEIGHT BEHIND AKPABIO, INTERIM MGT C'TTEE

Commend_PMB_For_Extending_Tenure_of_The_NDDC_Interim_Management_Committee

Sir, Bishop Mack Oruaefe a Chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC), and a SOCIAL POLITICAL group known as "GRASSROOT DEVELOPEMENT INITIATIVE" amongst others in the Niger Delta region have called on Nigerians, particularly Niger Deltans to disregard what it described as fabricated, Cooked Lies, Baseless propaganda peddled against the Interim Management Committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) under the supervision of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio’.

It would be recalled that some group of person's had accused the NDDC’s management of reckless spending of N40bn of the commission under the guise of purchasing COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment and amongst other things worth N40 billion.

Reacting to the said allegations, the duo in a joint statement issued recently observed that the Good Poeple's of Niger Delta region dismissed the allegation as merely orchestrated to disrupt the ongoing FORENSIC AUDIT embarked upon by the Interventionist Agency.

The statement noted that: “It is interesting to observe that immediately the NDDC Acting Executive Director of Projects, (NDDC) Dr Cairo Ojougboh made the announcement of an invitation to the EFCC to join in the AUDIT process, we saw petitions alleging fraud, reckless spending, quoting bogus sums of money as well as calling for the removal of the MINISTER of Niger Delta Affairs and the IMC.

“This is a clear AGENDA by those who fear the outcome of the FORENSIC AUDIT, more so with the invitation of the EFCC,” the statement read.

The group queried that with the prevalence of the COVID-19 Pandemic, it only stands to reason for a responsive INTERVENTIONIST AGENCY to commit RESOURCES in the fight to PREVENT the SPREAD of the VIRUS.

“As an INTERVENTIONIST Agency, it is the primary mandate of the NDDC to complement the Federal Government in areas requiring swift interventions as presented by the present COVID-19 Pandemic which has held the entire world to a hostage.

“Present records show that the virus is spreading to the Niger Delta region at an alarming rate. Therefore, to argue that the NDDC does not have such powers to intervene in the present CRISIS is rather unpatriotic and at BEST, a heartless ploy to sacrifice the lives of the Niger Delta People on the altar of Politics,” it continued.

“We therefore, urge all stakeholders of the Niger Delta region to cast politics aside and join the INTERIM MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE as well as the MINISTER for Niger Delta Affairs to combat this severe VIRUS as it respects neither party affiliation nor ethnicity,” they added.

 

Earlier, Sir, Bishop Mack Oruaefe, Olorogun Paul Akpoguma amongst others commended President Muhammadu Buhari for extending the TENURE of the Interim Management Committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission, in which Dr Cairo Ojougboh is also serving as a member (NDDC) from May 1 to December 31, 2020.

The extension is to cover the period of the FORENSIC AUDIT of the NDDC, earlier approved by the Federal Executive Council, under the chairmanship of the President.

In the same vein, President Buhari equally approved that the NDDC provides intervention support to complement efforts of the Federal and State Governments against further spread of COVID-19 in the nine States of the Niger Delta region, in the sum of Six Billion, Two Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (N6,250,000,000.00) only.

The materials and supplies are to be done through Emergency Procurement process as provided in Sections 42(b) (c) and 43 of the Public Procurement Act, 2007.