Group Demands Prosecution of NDDC Staff Involved in Contract Scam

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Civil Society Organisation under the aegis of Social Action, has demanded the arrest and prosecution of anyone found guilty in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) contract scam.

This as the group has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to initiate the prosecution of contractors or any other person involved in the alleged mismanagements of the over N6 trillion, in the commission.

Mr. Green Isaac, led the group on a peaceful protest to the headquarters of NDDC in Port Harcourt yesterday, where the demand was made in commemoration of the International Anti-Corruption Day 2021.

Isaac, who noted the theme of this year’s Anti-Corruption Day Commemoration as “Your Right, Your Role: Say No To Corruption”, stressed that “NDDC has became a curse instead of be a blessing to the people of the Niger Delta, as it has been largely noted that the agency become a cesspool, avenue for sharing of our collective wealth.”

He said the purpose of the protest was “to continue to speak up as silence would be treason for us if we do not speak up against the level of impunity in the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, an agency established two decades ago to bring development to the Niger Delta region”.

The group alleged that over the years the commission has become a bank for settlement loyal politicians and therefore no longer serves the purpose for which it was created.

The Social Action therefore, demanded “that President Muhammadu Buhari, constitutes a new board of the NDDC, which is long overdue after the conclusion of the forensic report.

“The immediate effect, the publishing of the forensic audit reports and the prosecution of the erring contractors involved in the abandonment of the over 13,000 failed projects in the NDDC.

“That the National Assembly speedily review the acts setting up the NDDC, its policies to give serious sanctions and punitive measures to erring officers of the commission who goes beyond their terms of references while working in the NDDC.

“That all managements staffs of the NDDC who were in one way or the other involved in the NDDC contracts scam and racketeering be arrested and prosecuted accordingly which will serve as deterrent for others.

“That the President should initiate an immediate prosecution of all persons involved in the waste, mismanagements and looting of the over six trillion naira in the commission as mentioned by the Minister of Niger delta affairs

Citizens are interested in the names of the Contractors, locations of contracts, company names, and amount of money involved in the mentioned 13,000 abandoned projects”.

Also demanded was “that the NDDC be compelled to make it annual budget document available in public domain. Era of fiscal secrecy is over with the completion of the forensic audit”.

Meanwhile, THISDAY observed that members of the Contractors Association of NDDC were still at the premises of the commission stopping all activities. Some of the contractors were sighted cooking at the gate of the NDDC headquarters.