- report on Lake Chad recession shows present status a threat to security
As the Federal Government intensifies effort in ensuring accountability in governance, Samuel Tyonongo Ukura, the auditor general of the federation, a report he submitted on Wednesday to the Audit Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Mekasua, shows there are over N100 billion expected refund from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) owing to violation of contract terms and payment of money on projects not executed.
The auditor-general, who submitted two reports namely: National Audit report on environmental audit on drying of Lake Chad and Special Periodic Checks on the activities and programmes of the NDDC for the period between 2008 and 2012, said the summary of the periodic checks indicated NDDC had over N100 billion refunds expected of it into the Federation Account.
A breakdown of the expected refund shows mobilisation payments to various contractors that never reported to site amounted to N70,493,993,000.00.
Also, payments to contractors for projects not executed, stalled and abandoned amounted to N5,838,768,000.00. Also, extra-budgetary expenditure for head/sub-head without approval by legal authorities is put at N90,461,282,695.00. Also, tax deductions without evidence of remittance to the Federal Inland Revenue Service amounted to N10,072,330,926.00.
Further breakdown shows un-deducted taxes from contractors put at N1,172,836,759.00. Further checks show also that transfer to unauthorised accounts is N3,118,000,000.00. Also, staff advances outstanding/unaccountable for amounted to N1,730,954,931.00
A total sum of N785,000,00.00 out of N1.1 billion contract for the supply of furniture to various schools in Delta State, inspected, not done, but were certified to have been done and paid for.
On the other hand, the auditor general’s National Audit report on environmental audit on drying up of Lake Chad shows it is drying up very fast from 25,000sq.km in 1960 to just 1,500sq.km at present.
Analysts say the extinction of the Lake Chad basin is already exposing the country to food insecurity and loss of job to many farmers, whose source of livelihood depends on the Lake Chad, already beckons.
It would be noted that the report was sponsored by Deutsche Gesellschaft fure International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), a German corporation on Good Financial Governance Programme in Africa for Accountability.
