NDDC: Senate Ad Hoc Committee submits report, recommends dissolution of IMC

The Senate Ad-Hoc committee investigating financial recklessness in the NDDC has concluded its investigation and presented its report before the Senate.

The report which was read by the committee chairman Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi, stated the NDDC spent 1.3 trillion Naira between 2015 and May 31st, 2019 concluding that many of these expenses contravened the law and were extra-budgetary.

Sen. Adetunmbi said the committee observed process errors and infractions, noting that substantial payments, were made to staff in the form of unjustifiable allowances.

The investigation further 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.

Curiously, the payment for overseas travel and scholarship was during the lockdown and cessation of flights abroad.

The committee also observed that the ministry of Niger delta is culpable of negligent supervision of the NDDC.

It further observed that the performance of the Interim Management Committee IMC is a major issue as the record of the IMC has not shown any evidence of prudence and accordingly recommended that it should be dissolved.

The committee also raised an alarm over the forensic audit called for by President Buhari, noting that it is at a rudimentary level with the recruitment of the auditors still underway even after eight months.