A group under the auspices of Emerging Leaders Forum of Nigeria (ELFON) has declared support for the House’ Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission investigating alleged billions of naira pilfered at the Commission.
The group made their position known on Today, through a press statement signed by the National President, Godstime Chukwubuikem Samuel.
“The Constitutional action embarked on behalf of Nigerians, by members of the National Assembly, to probe the NDDC over the Commission’s alleged financial misappropriation of our collective wealth is a welcome development. Anyone against it has a “skeleton in his or her cupboard” and wants to divert public attention.
“We are fully in support of forensic auditing of activities in NDDC. In the same vein, we encourage the National Assembly probe panel to continue with her probe measures in exposing corrupt practices in NDDC.
“We condemn every action that tends to intimidate Members of the House Committee and the witness as invited to give evidence before it, having the case of Joy Nunieh been a very good example”, the group stated.
According to him, “How do Niger Deltans and Nigeria, reconcile the report that NDDC MD Prof Podei was proud to say they used ₦10Billion to take care of themselves as palliatives. We are shocked at the nauseating courage of spending huge public funds without budget and approval and had the effrontery to tell Nigerians that they spent it to take care of themselves.
“The scholarship funds traced to the account of one of the Executive Directors should be returned immediately. When did he become CBN? More painful is the fact that he also collected estacode for a journey never made”.
The group expressed worries, “that a whooping sum of ₦86M was collected in the pretence of attending seminars during COVID period when there were no flight operations. One wonders if he is a witch and if he did travel in the realm of the Spirit during this period. Nigerians are not fools”.
The group encouraged the Minister of Niger Delta and officials of the NDDC IMC, to make themselves available for the Committee’s inquest, to douse suspicions that they have things to hide.
“If Senator Godswill Akpabio and his instituted Interim Management Committee of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), are confident that their hands are clean, they should make themselves available to the National Assembly probe panel rather than grandstanding and sponsoring youth groups for cheap propaganda and protest as confirmed by intelligence available to us”.
The Group also urged the Minister to, alternatively, resign from his office, or get suspended by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“We call on the Minister of Niger Delta to honourably step aside, otherwise we call on the President to apply the Public Service rule and suspend Senator Akpabio to give room for an unhindered investigation by the National Assembly as in the case of Magu. There should be no selective Justice”.
