The Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Daniel Kemebradikumo Pondei has revealed how lawmakers coerced him pay certain contractors in order to get his Commission’s budget approved.
According to his Special Adviser on Media Edgar Ebigoni, the lawmakers are alleged to have coerced Pondei to pay a number of contractors to get speedy passing of the 2019 budget.
Speaking further, Pondei said members of ad hoc committees in particular held the commission hostage each year for several years pending the release of funds to certain contractors, before any of his budgets is approved.
The statement signed by Ebigoni gave a list of the contracts the National Assembly ad hoc committees compelled the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NDDC to pay before getting its annual budget approvals.
He added that most of the contracts were either never done or not completed.
The statement reads in part that:
“This blackmail scheme explains why the 2019 Budget of the NDDC was passed by the NASS Committee in March, 2020. We are talking about a budget that was billed to expire in May, 2020.
“This implication is that the management of the NDDC had only 5 weeks to implement the budget of one fiscal year, and present a performance report on the same budget. “
Besides the lawmakers, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio named 2 Delta State Governors and 1 Abia State Governor as beneficiaries of NDDC contracts.
The Director of Corporate Affairs, Charles Odili has, on his part confirmed that the list of lawmakers who profited from the Commission’s contracts was authentic.
He also confirmed that the list is currently in the hands of forensic auditors.
Read also:
“Publish Names of Lawmakers Awarded NDDC Contracts in 48 Hours,” Gbajabiamila Tells Akpabio