Unease As Group Files FoI Request To Expose Beneficiaries Of NDDC Payments

A Niger Delta group, Community Development Committees of Niger Delta Oil and Gas Producing Areas has filed a freedom of information, FOI request on the revenue and expenditure profile of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC between 2017 and October 20, 2022.

The request which was dated October 28, 2022 was authored on behalf of the group by A.P. Oyibo and Co on the authorisation of Comrade Joe Ambakederimo, chairman of the board of trustees of the group.

In the FOI demand, the group also sought information on the list of contracts and approved contract sum and also, the beneficiaries of the contracts.

The group is also seeking information on all contract payments and other payments made by the commission between April 2017 and October 20, 2022

Explaining the justification for the FOI request, Ambakederimo said the NDDC which was set up to realise the development of the Niger Delta region had grossly failed in its responsibilities and most notably, in the period under assessment.

He said:

“The FoI request is coming at a time a new management is taking charge and have the onerous task of remaking and present a new NDDC to the people of the region, this can only happen if the resources are religiously and judiciously applied to relieve the people of years of pain and agony.

“The then interim Sole Administrator Effiong Akwa, has no doubt managed the resources of the NDDC without full disclosure and in a non-transparent manner that was questionable in all it’s ramifications.

“The people of the region therefore demand the full disclosure of the aforementioned prayers which are to be responded to by  the new management of the commission within the constitutional seven days time limit from the date of  receipt of the request.

“Failure to comply with our request shall automatically trigger a law suit seeking a mandamus from a competent court of jurisdiction. We are stating in very clear terms that if the NDDC fails to respond to our request the CDC would be acting within the law to proceed with our next further action,” the group said in the event its FOI request is not timeously honoured.

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