By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr Godswill Akpabio, has been praised by a group known as the Citizens Quest for Truth Initiative for the completion and eventual submission of the forensic audit report on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Last week, the Minister presented the report to President Muhammadu Buhari via the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mr Abubakar Malami, in Abuja.
During the presentation, Mr Akpabio said the NDDC forensic audit report discovered that trillions of Naira were allocated by the federal government for the development of the oil-rich but underdeveloped region littered with several abandoned projects.
Reacting to the development, the accountability advocacy non-governmental organisation in a statement made available to Business Post said it was impressed with the “uncommon courage of the Minister” in the face of outright vilification and frustrating distractions occasioned by his resolve to see out the forensic audit as ordered by President Buhari.
“We are grateful to the President for his commitment towards restoring the Niger Delta Master plan, which has been thwarted through the wanton looting and reckless abandonment of projects across the length of the Niger Delta region.
“It is shocking to realize that in his remarks, shortly before handing over the report, Mr Akpabio disclosed that the forensic audit covered a total of 13,777 contracts awarded from 2001 to 2019 at a final contract value of N3,274,206,032,213.24 out of which over 90 per cent were paid for and largely left undone,” a part of the statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Francis Udoka Ndimkoha, disclosed.
“We urge Mr President to ensure that the recommendations from the report are implemented to the letter, to the overall benefit of the Niger Delta people in particular and Nigeria at large,” the group added.
