By Dipo Olowookere
The release of N722.3 million for the forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has been applauded by a group known as Citizens Quest for Truth Initiative.
National President of the Citizens Quest for Truth Initiative, Christie O. Ndukwe, in a statement, said this singular move has shown that President Muhammadu Buhari was determined to probe the allegations of fraud in the commission.
Ndukwe said the approval of the fund for the exercise was “sequel to the obvious deliberate attempt by the National Assembly to frustrate the forensic audit, simply by delaying the release of the 2020 budget of the commission.”
Recall that the Citizens Quest for Truth Initiative had noted, previously, that the scheme of delaying the annual budget of the NDDC had been an effective coercive measure that has derailed the vision of the founding fathers of the agency in the past 20 years.
Thus, the move by Mr President to fund the NDDC, using his good office, shows the depth of his love for the Niger Delta region, the group said in the statement.
On Wednesday, the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Mr Godswill Akpabio, announced that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved the fund for exercise.
In a related development, President Buhari has released N20 billion for the completion of the 15-year old East-West highway project.
In the statement, Citizens Quest said it has confirmed the receipt of the money by the two contractors handling the road project and who are expected to move back to the site to commence work, commending the gesture.
Recall also that the President had granted the request of the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs to return the road back to the Ministry after four years of abandonment by the Presidential Infrastructural Development Fund (PIDF) which though had received about N20billion from the Ministry of Finance, refused to pay the Contractors their historical debts.
“We urge all well-meaning Niger Deltans to join hands with the President in the fight for the total liberation of the region from the anti-development forces, masquerading as stakeholders in the region,” the group appealed.
