The Senate Committee set up to probe the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has recommended the dissolution of the commission’s Interim Management Committee (IMC).
The committee said it came to the decision after unraveling financial recklessness committed by the management within the short time they were inaugurated.
In a report presented by the Chairman, Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi, the committee revealed that the IMC spent N1.3 trillion within four years ( 2015 – 2019), illegally. It also decried the extra-budgetary spending by the management.
Adetumbi explained that the Committee observed process errors and infractions, as well as substantial payments, were made to staff in the form of unjustifiable allowances.
He revealed that the NDDC paid 4.9 billion Naira to staff for numerous allowances including COVID-19 relief, tour duty allowances, overseas travel, and international scholarships.
However, the committee recommended that the N1.4bn and other monies spent on COVID -19 by the IMC should be refunded to the NDDC account.
The committee also said that the commission should be returned to the Presidency for direct supervision. It also said the monitoring and advisory bodies recognised by the Act which established the NDDC, should be inaugurated immediately.
The committee chairman noted that the Ministry of Niger Delta has no capacity to implement the forensic audit and therefore demanded that the Auditor General of the Federation should supervise the forensic audit for transparency and efficiency.
The report also said the Auditor General should appoint internationally renowned audit experts to carry out the exercise.
