NDDC report: N6trn approved in 18 years yet projects uncompleted

The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved N6 trillion in 18 years for projects under the watch of the Niger Delta Development Commissions (NDDC) but this has failed to complete many projects, a forensic report shows.

Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), said the execution of 13,777 projects in the Niger Delta were compromised.

The minister said this on Thursday while receiving the report on the forensic audit of the NDDC, on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari.

President Buhari had, in 2019, ordered a forensic audit of the NDDC’s operations from 2001 to 2019.

Kemebradikumo Pondei, the then-acting managing director of the commission, was sacked over allegations of mismanagement of funds, and in December 2020, the president appointed Effiong Akwa as the new head of the agency.

In his speech, Malami also noted that 362 accounts belonging to the NDDC were not properly reconciled.

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President Muhammadu Buhari has also been reported to want to launch a criminal investigation into 13,777 compromised projects of the NDDC.

This came as the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, expressed indifference to news of the submission of the report of the forensic audit carried out on the NDDC but called on the Federal Government not to be selective in punishing those behind the compromised projects.

Buhari, represented by the attorney-general of the Federation and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami, received the documents, which were conveyed in sacks and presented by Godswill Akpabio, minister of Niger Delta Affairs.

In his remarks shortly before he handed over the report, Akpabio said the forensic audit uncovered a total of 13,777 contracts that were awarded from 2001 to 2019 but not completed.

He put the value of the contracts at over N3 trillion, disclosing that the commission also operated 362 bank accounts that lacked proper reconciliation. NDDC got almost N6 trillion since 2001.