By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri –
Social Action Integrated Development Center (SAIDC), a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to expedite action to inaugurate a substantive governing board for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as provided in the NDDC Act 2000 as amended.
Miss Comfort Agbebaku, SAIDC Communication Officer in Borno State, made the call in a statement made available to newsmen on Monday in Maiduguri.
Miss Agbebaku said the call came on premise after Federal Government directed all unexecuted contracts awarded by the Commission between 2000 and December 31, 2019, to be revoked and benefiting contractors who are yet to mobilize to sites to refund all monies to the NDDC account with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
It added that while this step was considered the right move towards promoting accountability in the Commission, SAIDC therefore called for immediate inauguration of a substantive NDDC Board.
The statement explained further that “the people of the Niger Delta region have suffered years of negligence from the Federal Government and worst still even from the NDDC. While a Commission meant to engender the development of the region is enmeshed in corruption and has failed to oversee the proper execution of contracted projects is heartbreaking”.
It also stated that this is a sign of a serious structural and administrative problem.
“We also condemn the use of sole administrator to run the affairs of the NDDC because the successive interim administrations have failed to effectively pilot the activities of the commission which is a clear breach of the NDDC Act as amended”.
“Hence, the NDDC Act as amended ensures checks and balances in the commission, Social Action urges President Muhammadu Buhari to fulfill his promise made on the 24th of June 2021 to inaugurate the NDDC Board after the completion of the Forensic Audit”.
The statement noted that “the audit report has been submitted since the 2nd of September, 2021, even though it has not been made public, yet the Board has not been inaugurated. Just as the North East Development Commission (NEDC) has a constituted Board in place in line with its NEDC Act which ensures checks and balances, transparency, accountability, and fair representation amongst its constituent states.
SAIDC, further, called on the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan to keep to his commitment of ensuring that the Senate is ready to push for the inauguration of a Board in the Commission as it is long overdue.
It also called on the current sole administrator’s contraction to be terminated as the establishment of a full-fledged management and the Commission’s Governing Board will bring about transparency and accountability in the Commission and by extension development in the region. .
SAIDC, however, called on President Buhari to immediately inaugurate the NDDC Board by living up to his promises of ending corruption and repositioning the commission for greater achievement.
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