- By Emmanuel Nduka
Amidst supposed efforts to sanitize the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) through a Forensic Audit as ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari, sources close to the Aso Villa have revealed how top officials of the Presidency and National Assembly are arm-wisting the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Apkabio and the Acting Managing Director of the NDDC, Effiong Akwa over contract payments.
According to the source, most of the sub-contractors within the Niger Delta region now run to the Presidency to facilitate contracts payments out of pressure. There is also allegation that some of these government officials collect percentage as high as 40 percent to facilitate these payments for contracts.
The source adds that even top Emirs from the north who ordinarily should not have a say in the decision making of oil matters in the Niger Delta, are also on the neck of Akpabio and Akwa for contract payments.
This development has now left many jobs undone, especially those handled by National Assembly members while monies for these projects have been collected in full. Between Wednesday and Thursday this week, the Heritage Times on a tour of Delta and Rivers State together with the Forensic Auditors and NDDC contractors, found out that matority of the projects were either left uncompleted or outrightly abandoned.
In Rivers State for example, out of over 3,000 projects which accounts for up to 35 percent of the entire NDDC projects in the Niger Delta, only a little above 1,000 have been completed or are in their final stages of completion.
This however not far from the reason why things have remained unstable in the Niger Delta region, amidst anger and threats in the hearts of ex-militants, vis-a-vis the tendency to resume hostilities.
It would be recalled that during the Joy Nunieh era as Acting NDDC MD, contractors sat in their house and received alerts of payment for contacts. It was such that once projects were verified, payment was made immediately.
This disturbing development comes just as the Forensic Auditors are on site across the nine states of the Niger Delta to access the level of work done by contractors. There is also a long standing battle to constitute a new and permanent board for the NDDC.
Speaking to Journalists in Port Harcourt on Wednesday after the inspection tour of projects, the Rivers State NDDC Director, Barr-George Ero, blamed paucity of funds, frequent change of leadership in the commission, and insecurity as some of the challenges limiting the commission from delivering it’s mandate to the people.
According to one of Nigeria’s leading and futuristic young entrepreneur from the Niger Delta Region, Moses Siloko Siasia, who is the Chairman of Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF) and a former Bayelsa State Governorship Candidate, “the reason why we have the rise in agitations from various interest groups issuing ultimatums and threats over the constitution of the NDDC Board, is as a result of personal interest and not for the collective interest of the Region”.
While stating that most of the actors staging the plan, have pending contract payments with the Commission, he added that the NDDC under the leadership of Akwa has achieved some level of millstone, including the Budget Passage, Commissioning of the NDDC Building and others which his predecessors couldn’t achieve.
He added that the NDDC need reforms, just as he recalled that contracts were awarded in the past without due process or flouting the Procurement Act of the Federal Government.
“It is only in NDDC that a Restaurant and Lounge Company will be given massive Road Construction Contracts. We need to support the Forensic Auditing of the Commission, which in our view, will bring all those who have shortchanged the region to book,” he added.
Some of the project sites visited by Journalists in company of the Forensic Auditors, includes; Provision of Transformers and Emergency Repairs of roads in various areas in Obio-Akpor LGA, Rivers State, 550 meters Shore Protection Project at Ugborodo Community, Land Reclamation Project at Akpakpa-Ajudiabo Community, Canalization of Oporoza and others in Warri South-West LGA of Delta State.
There was also the provision for Tables and Chairs by NDDC at Ezemu Girls Grammar School Ubulu-Uku in Aniocha South LGA of Delta State, while there was also ongoing Construction and Earth Work at Onicha-Uku to Idumu-Ogo Road, Anioma North and others in Delta State.
