NDDC board member gives reason for abandonment of projects

From ADIELE GOSPEL, Umuahia

ABIA State representative in the former Board of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Sam Nwogu has called on the Federal Government and the National Assembly to urgently fine-tune the law establishing NDDC which made the state commissioners mere part time members of the commission.

Nwogu who stated this while speaking to National Daily in Umuahia on why most of the NDDC projects were abandoned said commissioners in the board are working on part time basis and as such their contributions were not taken seriously in the commission.

According to him, it is only when the law establishing the commission is amended that the state commissioners will no longer work on part time basis, as members will make impute and contributions that will make the commission more functional and effective.

His words: “Why things are not moving well in NDDC is because commissioners representing their states are toothless bull dog and part time members they make little or no contribution to the commission that is the major reasons why the NDDC is not performing well and most of her projects are abandoned even Civil Servants and State Directors in the commission are more recognized and taken more serious than commissioners in the board.”

He described as unacceptable the situation where commissioners do not even know when and how contracts are awarded and are not aware of the projects approved for their communities.

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He stressed that the contractors had no regard for the commissioners since they are not responsible for the award of contracts and payment for them. “That is why we have many NDDC abandoned projects scattered everywhere in the state,” he said.

Chief Nwogu maintained that state commissioners do not know how funds are been allocated and spend and that the commissioners are neither signatories to the account nor aware where the funds are coming from, for this reason he said no body can hold him responsible for non-performance, even as he did not sign any contract or approve any one.

He therefore called on the Federal Government and National Assembly to look into the Act establishing the commission to amend it with a and liabilities belonging to the NDDC in their state would be entrusted into their care and they should be held responsible for any problem arising from their states

They would be responsible and accountable to the people and be allowed to choose projects that would be sited in their states through community appraisal adding that commissioners will also be held responsible for any lapses found in their communities and state and can be prosecuted by the EFCC for non performance and embezzlement of funds allotted for projects in their states.