NDDC probe: Commission says Pondei went to Abuja against medical advice, been ill for weeks

The acting managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Kemebradikumo Daniel Pondei, who collapsed in the heat of a probe by the House of Representatives Committee on NDDC on Monday, actually travelled against medical advice, according to a statement from the Commission’s media department.

The statement issued late Monday evening described the professor of virology as the most intimidated, harassed and victimised chief executive officer of the NDDC, saying the probe threat was launched merely 74 days after Pondei assumed office.

The statement signed by Charles Odili, Corporate Affairs Director, indicated that the MD has been ill for the past two weeks.

“This morning, his condition deteriorated, and his doctors advised against attending the hearing. However, he ignored his doctors’ advice because of the realisation that his traducers will use his absence at the hearing to soil his name and reputation. He thought he could make it through the hearing and take care of his health later,” the NDDC said.

It said it turned out that Pondei’s doctors were right, adding, however, that the professor is in a stable condition at a clinic in Abuja.

The Commission showed pain, pointing out that its preference was the forensic audit ordered by the presidency that looks at the 19 years of the NDDC instead of the 74 days of Pondei.

“Pondei, as the Managing Director of the Commission, has an official duty to answer for the activities of the Commission like what happened between 2008–2012 which is the subject of another hearing based on the auditor general’s report for the period. It would, however, be unfair to hold him personally liable for acts which took place when he was not the head of the Commission,” the statement said.

It said when the two arms of the National Assembly called for a probe, it was over a missing N40 billion.

“The Commission took the rare step of publishing all payments made by it under Prof Pondei. No organisation in Nigeria, public or private has ever got to that level of transparency in our national history.

“As this publication undermined the claims of his accusers, the subject of the public hearing changed to ‘financial recklessness’. While this might appear insignificant, it amounted to changing the goal posts to smear a clean man. While misappropriation of N40 billion is a matter demanding objective proof, the question of financial recklessness is one open to subjective judgement.

“The Commission is delighted that Hon Olubunmi Ojo, the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on NDDC has recused himself from the hearing. At the end of the day, everyone has to answer for his role in the misappropriation of the resources of the Commission.

“It is this search for answers that led President Muhammadu Buhari, on the request of the nine governors of the region, to institute a forensic audit to probe what happened to the resources of the Commission from 2001 to date.

“The Pondei-led interim management committee (IMC) has committed to the success of that exercise. While we thought there will be a fight back by those who dipped their hands in the cookie’s jar, we never expected this level of boldness and malevolent aggression as witnessed by accusers at hearing and their paid agents through all the media platforms,” the Commission said.

Observers believe that Pondei may not have planned to stay away from the panel forever but that the fact that the minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio boldly took the seat before him and contended with the panel may give Pondei less heat when he eventually appears.