NDDC Board Nominations Suspended As Buhari Orders Audit

By Ayodele Oluwafemi

President Muhammadu Buhari may have put on hold plans to set up a new management of the Niger Delta Development Commission as he on Thursday ordered a forensic audit of the organization from 2001 to 2019.

He said that his plans for the organization will be put on hold pending the outcome of the forensic audit.

President Buhari made this known while receiving governors of the states that make up the Commission, led by Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State on Thursday in Abuja.

The president’s assertion came in the wake of mutterings over the composition of the nominations of the new management of the NDDC as released by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF.

That list is now said to be on hold.

Speaking to the governors on Thursday, Buhari said that the state of development in the South-South region does not justify the huge resources that have been made available to NDDC.

According to him, “I try to follow the Act setting up these institutions especially the NDDC. With the amount of money that the Federal Government has religiously allocated to the NDDC, we will like to see the results on the ground; those that are responsible for that have to explain certain issues.

“The projects said to have been done must be verifiable. You just cannot say you spent so much billions and when the place is visited, one cannot see the structures that have been done. The consultants must also prove that they are competent”

He however disclosed  that he would wait for the report of the audit before deciding on the next line of action regarding the organisation, noting that the development of the Niger Delta Regions required huge resources due to the nature of their lands.

“I am acutely aware, with my experience, that projects in your area are very expensive; that is why if any job is given, we must make sure that the company is competent and has the capacity to do it well with experienced consultants, the President said.

Earlier, Governor Dickson expressed the dissatisfaction of other governors with the operations of the NDDC, which they said was characterised by poor choice of projects, shoddy handling, uncompleted jobs and lack of the required support for the efforts of the states and local government administration in the region covered by the organisation.

Send Us A Press Statement Advertise With Us Contact Us

 And For More Nigerian News Visit GWG.NG