The gale of corruption and mindless thieving being exposed by the investigation into the activities of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) last week burdened Nigerians so much that many are beginning to lose hope of any redemption of the country from the scourge of corruption.
According to a Senate Report presented by Olubunmi Adetunmbi, on Thursday, the commission, between October 2019 and May 2020 spent a whopping N81 billion without tangible projects to show for it, adding that the commission also paid staff all kinds of inexplicable allowances.
“Spending N81 billion in six months is one of the most terrible crimes anybody can commit in a country even as people are dying of poverty in the region,” the report said.
Some of the funds that were allegedly squandered include N85.7 million for overseas travels to the United Kingdom; N105.5 million for scholarship grants and N164.2 million for union members trip to Italy.
Other are, N1.9 billion for Lassa Fever kits; N1.1 billion for ‘public communication’ and N1.5 billion for Covid-19 relief.
The commission also reportedly spent over N40 billion “without recourse to established processes of funds disbursement which has opened up further suspicion among stakeholders of the Niger Delta region.”
The NDDC spent N4.9 billion on medicals between October 2019 and May 2020 and spent billions of naira on “overseas travel allowance” at a time when countries were on lockdown and international flights were not operating, the report added.
On Monday the Managing Director of the NDDC, Kemebradikumo Pondei, fainted during the probe exercise, while the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio while facing interrogation by the House of Representatives panel probing the alleged corruption, accused the federal lawmakers of benefiting largely from the NDDC contracts. He later changed his position.
The Senate had asked the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NDDC to refund N4.9 billion paid to staff, in breach of procurement process and approvals and urged President Muhammadu Buhari to disband the IMC.
The NDDC, the Niger Delta Ministry and the Amnesty Programme of the Federal were all established by the government of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to address the socio- economic challenges facing the Niger Delta region, Nigeria’s oil rich region. The institutions became necessary following agitations by militant groups over the neglect of the region by successive governments.
The region has suffered massive environmental degradation, arising from oil spillage, gas flaring and deplorable level of poverty. These interventionist agencies have however, not invested much of the funds to reclaiming the environment, neither have they improved the lives of the people of the region. The agencies have largely been captured by those who go into government offices to corruptly enrich themselves with funds leaving the region in a more sorry state.
Speaking to BDSUNDAY on the culture of corruption in Nigeria, Second Republic lawmaker, Junaid Mohammed said: “Nigeria’s corruption is impossible to handle because those who claim to be fighting corruption are at the centre of it and that is why we are making no headway.
“There is absolutely no hope of fighting corruption in the country. The corruption fight in Nigeria especially under Buhari is nothing but a ruse, the country is not sincere and the government is not sincere. Sadly, Nigerians have to live with the consequences of this disaster.”
He added that if the nation must make progress in the fight against corruption, current institutional arrangement would have to change.
Junaid however, suggested that Nigeria should copy the method of anti-corruption from South Africa, which has built strong independent institutions. “There is the need for us to copy what other countries have done successfully particularly the South Africans who took away some of the functions of the attorney-general and created the Directorate of Public Prosecution and also created a National Independent National Prosecution Authority (NIPA).
“In the case of South Africa’s NIPA, it was a creation not of the President or his initiative it was the policy of the party, the African National Congress ANC. So everybody is bound to the institution because the party is a credible party. Everyone knows that the party is above every one of them. But in the case of Nigeria individuals think they are more important than the party and if he is the governor he puts the party in his pocket, the President also wants to put the party in his pocket,” he said.
Popular political analyst and former ally of President Buhari-turned critic, Buba Galadima, said the situation is getting worse because the institutions that would have fought corruption have been compromised and destroyed especially under the government of President Buhari.
“The institutions were destroyed by the very people who are supposed to protect and develop them and, I can give you reason. Everybody had hope that when Buhari becomes President he will fight corruption because of his antecedents as former head of state and general. Everybody thought he will use the position to fight insecurity, provide employment and provide equitable environment.
“But today, we are surprised that Buhari cannot even sack an ordinary minister that has allegedly stolen, he is passing the buck. The situation is sad and if Buhari cannot address corruption at this stage, I am beginning to wonder whether there is anybody who could do that,” he said.
Public intellectual Katch Ononuju also decried the situation, stressing that no meaningful progress will be made in the fight against corruption going by the rhetoric and pretences of President Buhari.
“The revelations at the House of Reps showed that since Buhari came to power N3 trillion has been spent at the NDDC without a formal budget, this is Buhari’s administration, this is the government of the man who claims that he is fighting corruption. So, people should not deceive themselves, Buhari is not fighting corruption. All he is doing is rhetoric, which does not amount to action.
“We have vivid evidence to show that Buhari’s government is the most corrupt in Nigeria’s history that is the fact. Buhari’s government is worse than corruption,” he added.
