President Muhammadu Buhari has given directives for better coordination among security and investigating agencies with the National Assembly to ensure the administration’s effort to bring sanity, transparency and accountability to the management of the large amount of resources dedicated to development of the Niger Delta sub-region is not derailed.
The president’s directive came amidst unfolding drama which includes attacks and counter attacks between and around persons, institutions and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The president expressed strong determination to get to the root of the problem undermining the development of the Niger Delta and its peoples in spite of enormous national resources voted year after year for this singular purpose.
He said auditing firms and investigative agencies working in collaboration with National Assembly Committees to resolve the challenges in the NDDC must initiate actions in a time-bound manner and duly inform the Presidency of the actions being taken.
The president also directed timely sharing of information and knowledge in a way to speedily assist the administration to diagnose what had gone wrong in the past and what needed to be done to make corrections in order to return the NDDC to its original mandate of making life better for people in Niger Delta.
He said the present administration wants to bring about “rapid, even and sustainable development to the region.”
President Buhari assured that the present administration would put in place a transparent and accountable governance framework, not only in the NDDC but in all other institutions of government.
NDDC boss walks out
Meanwhile, the NDDC Acting Managing Director, Professor Kemebradikumo Pondei Thursday staged a walkout on the House Committee on NDDC while investigation into alleged graft in the commission was on.
The committee was investigating an alleged mismanagement of about N81.5 billion and other activities of the NDDC.
Pondei had argued that he was not comfortable with the chairman of the committee, Hon. Olubunmi Ojo handling the probe into the matter, having been earlier accused of several financial crimes linked to the NDDC.
As an interested party, he said, the committee chairman cannot preside over the matter.
In some verbal exchanges with Pondei, however, members of the panel however argued that the committee had the right to carry out its duty.
They said the commission should rather drag the accused chairman to court but since that has not been done; they can carry out the investigation.
But dissatisfied with the position of the committee, the NDDC managing director and its officials staged a walkout.
Dissatisfied with the conduct, the committee issued a warrant of arrest on the NDDC boss.
Allegations baseless-CSO
Meanwhile, a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), People’s Alliance for Indigenous Rights (PAIR) has expressed concern over the show of shame by some ex-officials of the NDDC over their wild allegations.
The group at a press briefing Thursday in Abuja, expressed reservation over the style adopted by a former MD of the commission, Ms Joi Nuneih, describing it as overly dramatic and staged-managed.
Addressing the conference, PAIR Coordinator, Iriogbe Emmanuel, and National Secretary, James Okoronkwo, called on the House of Representatives and Ms. Nuneih to allow the forensic audit ordered by President Buhari, rather than engage in media trial.
According to the organisation, Ms. Nuneih has weaponised ‘kidnap and sexual harassment’ in order to score some political mileage, which the PAIR described as unfortunate.
“We have since observed the unfortunate drama playing out in the NDDC, and wish to state that facts have become obscured as the dramatic and playing to the gallery has taken centre stage.
“If those, especially Ms. Joy Nuneih, a former Managing Director of the NDDC, were out to expose corruption as have been alleged by them, then this unnecessary orchestrated drama would not be part of the “fact finding” by the House of Reps.
“It is regrettable that those who parade themselves as saints are in themselves mired deep in rot, therefore, the determination to smear others with mud,” the group said.
Speaking further they said, “On Thursday, it was alleged that Ms. Nuneih’s home in Port Harcourt was besieged by gun-wielding security men. How convenient! To imagine that this is happening barely after 24 hours when the Rivers state Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, warned against any attempt to undermine the security and life of Ms. Nuneih speaks to a sinister plot by those who hope to gain from this macabre plot.”
The group further stated that, “While it is not cast in stone that some things may have gone wrong, Ms. Nuneih and her co-travellers should allow the forensic audit ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari go on. It is only proper that any grievances and allegations of wrongdoing should be channelled to the audit panel and not the red herring all over the place.
“The new management of the NDDC, the Interim Management Committee and Minister of the Niger Delta, Senator Godswill Akpabio, should be allowed some breathing space to reposition a terribly battered commission.”
