Professor Kemebradikumo Pondei,The report of the Senate ad-hoc Committee investigated allegations of N40 billion fraud by the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), indicted the Managing Director (MD) of the Interim Management Committee, (IMC) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), including IMC members of collecting 20 per cent to 30 per cent kick back while paying Contractors who delivered on their awarded contracts.

The Senate ad-hoc Committee on Investigation of allegations of Financial malfeasance in the sum of N40 billion by the NDDC IMC was led by Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi, representing APC, Ekiti North, in the National Assembly. The committee report indicated that members of the IMC and the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, lied that the NDDC Headquarters is 95 per cent completed.

The report indicated: “that the claim of the Interim Management Committee( IMC) of the NDDC of paying with less than N50 million is totally untrue as there are over 500 transformer installation and payments less than N4.5 million that have not been made for over eight years is untrue.

“That the new head of IMC- Prof Pondei, and other members of IMC are now collecting 20% – 30% of contract sums before Contractors are paid.”

The Senate ad hoc Committee emphasized in the report that Chairman of Contractors Association of Niger Delta Development Commission, Joe Adia, made the revelations in a written submission to the panel during the investigation.

National Daily gathered that Adia in his submission, indicated that the Immediate past Acting Managing Director of the Commission, Mrs. Gbene Joi Nunieh, prohibited all contractors from going to the Commission until the completion of the Forensic Audit. He added that the order made it difficult for contractors to seek payment for projects they have completed. The report further indicated that “the Contractors that are paid were those having access to the IMC and known to them and that the real contractors that did their job judiciously were not paid.”

National Daily also gathered that a Civil Society Organisation,  Act for Positive Transformation Initiative, in a written submission revealed to the Committee that an Engineering Company was awarded consultancy contract on awareness campaign on the prevention of the spread of Coronavirus in the NDDC States by the IMC; the contract the group said, was in contravention of the Public Procurement Law.

The report noted that it is not true that President Muhammadu Buhari gave approval before the commission awarded the COVID-19 intervention contract as claimed by the IMC.  The report maintained that “the IMC had awarded the contracts prior to the Presidential approval which is in total disregard of laid down procedures as the contract sum is above the Board threshold.”

It highlighted: “That the Presidential approval for the procurement of COVID-19 emergency contract was granted on 30th May 2020 whereas the contract was given by the IMC long before the approval.

“That most of the contract approval were done in shady manner and that some of the benefitting companies got 15% and above mobilization instantly after the approval of their contracts in less than 24 hours.”

The report further indicated that the Centre for Social Justice in a written submission, acquainted the Senate Committee that the NDDC never published a budget proposal in the hard or electronic copy to be made available to the public, including its Budget implementation report either on a quarterly, half-yearly or yearly; and made same available to Nigerians.

The Senate had on July 23 considered the report of  Senate ad-hoc Committee on Investigation of allegations of financial impropriety; a portion of the report indicted the senate as an institution for failure to carrying out an effective oversight function on the NDDC IMC, noting that this culminated into the rot and high level of corruption in the commission.

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The Senate had earlier made a resolution urging President Muhammadu Buhari to as a matter of urgency, dissolve the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) over alleged financial recklessness and constitute a new board for the Commission.

The Senate commenced the investigation of allegations of N40 billion financial malfeasance by the NDDC IMC.

The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, subsequently appointed a six-member ad-hoc committee to conduct detailed investigation on allegations but not limited to the N4O billion misapplication and misappropriation by the IMC. This is different from the N81.6 billion allegations.

The Committee was given four weeks duration to report back at Plenary.