[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ithout doubt, Nigerians must have been thoroughly entertained by the ongoing probe of the alleged malfeasance in Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the agency established in 2000 to ameliorate the sufferings of the nine oil-bearing states of the Niger Delta region. But with the recent revelations emanating from the investigation, it has become obvious that the NDDC has invariably become a drainpipe through which public funds are siphoned.

Chief Ambrose Elofu-Dike,The Chairman of Umudike Farms Limited and Hotel De Espana on Saturday said no stone should be left unturned in the investigation of alleged misappropriation of over N81 billion by the Interim Management Committee of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

Grassroots Publishers had reported that the Senate on Tuesday set up a seven-man ad-hoc committee to probe the financial transactions, which amounted to over  N81 billion carried out by the IMC on behalf of the NDDC within the last three months and report back to the House in one month.

The call for an investigation is sequel to a motion sponsored by Senator Thompson George Sekibo (PDP Rivers East). He added that aside from financial recklessness, the IMC also indulged in an alleged arbitrary sack of management staff of the commission.

Reacting, Chief Ambrose Elofu-Dike, called on the National Assembly to recommend to the appropriate authorities that the IMC and the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, to rescue themselves from further administering the affairs of the commission.

The statement reads: It is common knowledge in the public sphere that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons. The Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the commission has been accused by several persons and organizations of engaging in fraud, looting, pillaging and ransacking of the scarce resources belonging to the Niger Delta Region. The supervising Minister of the commission, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio has equally been severally accused of executing an agenda of grievous larceny, greed and revenge”. However, the lingering public outrage against the IMC and Senator Akpabio regarding their (mis) management of the affairs of NDDC has made it mandatory for us to speak up as stakeholders in the good governance project. Senator Akpabio and the IMC are alleged to be running the commission in secrecy while running away with money belonging to the region. It is our duty to seek clarifications and that’s why we are here.

“It is, however, germane that we raise concern regarding the loud murmuring in the public space that the Minister has been boasting that he will be cleared of all allegations and commended for a job well done not because he and the IMC would not be found wanting, but because he is said to have perfected a scheme to compromise the entire process.

“The Minister is said to have as his chief talent the uncanny ability to throw money and more money at challenges until they give way. He is said to be bragging that he will deploy his wide contacts in the innermost recesses of Aso Rock power base to call the National Assembly to order since according to him politicians are sworn companions of the wind. The members of the IMC are said to have assured their collaborators not to worry because the Minister has already “settled” the matter hence his statement that he would like the proceedings to be beamed on live television.

“Another source of worry is the claim by those with insider knowledge that since the COVID-19 contract scandal broke out, the IMC has been engaged in massive destruction of contract documents, displacement of files, alteration of payment schedules and persuasion/intimidation of some of their collaborators to disappear from the scene during the pendency of the probe so as to frustrate any evidential value they may offer. This is absolutely very disturbing.

“We salute both chambers of the National Assembly for rising up to the challenges of exercising its oversight functions on the NDDC. The crime at NDDC is accumulating at an alarming rate. The actors at NDDC must be made to appreciate that they can be restrained by the limiting structures and facilities of oversight powers of the National Assembly. The National Assembly should deploy all tools available to it to “follow the money”. This can be easily achieved by collaborating with the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit and the Central Bank of Nigeria to ascertain the true amount of money that has been paid out since the Minister assumed his supervisory role over NDDC and where such money ultimately ended.

“The National Assembly should go a step further to determine the veracity or otherwise of the alleged reprisal and retaliation attacks on the staff of the commission who are being mandated to proceed on compulsory leave or retirement. The powers of the IMC to issue such a sweeping order must be reviewed in accordance with the provisions of the law. If the IMC lacks such powers, the order should be rescinded immediately and the IMC officially reprimanded. If this is the case, then, there would be a need to review the engagement of the lead auditors on whose purported advice the IMC acted as they would have shown themselves as puppets in the hands of an unseen conductor.

“It is my recommendation that only accomplished facts not speculations should be investigated and decisions reached on the basis of probable confirmations and possible contradictions. If the maelstrom of allegations against the Minister and the IMC turn out to be irresponsible and callous attempts to smear and tar them, then, the unreserved apology of the public should be extended to them.
“If, however, at the end of the investigation it is discovered that something terrible and powerful, something that is beyond our ken has surreptitiously taken over the levers of power at NDDC at the expense of our collective interest simply because its money tastes like the nectar of the gods, then our only demand would be that the guilty be severely punished and all the wrongs made right.

” In that case, I call on the National Assembly to recommend to the appropriate authorities that the IMC and the Minister rescue themselves from further administering the affairs of the commission, the Minister instructed to restrict himself to his ministry instead of ignoring the area of his primary assignment and fixing his gaze on NDDC with the burning eyes of a falcon and the original mistake of the IMC corrected by immediately inaugurating the statutory Board as recognized under the law to manage the affairs of the commission.”

[dropcap]P[/dropcap]EOPLES Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be impartial in the gubernatorial elections of Edo and Ondo States.

This was part of the resolutions reached by members of the forum in a virtual meeting held on Saturday.

Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki for the first time, attended the meeting. The governor who decamped from the All Progressive Congress (APC) to the PDP was congratulated by his colleagues in other states for clinching the PDP guber ticket to seek re-election.

Other Governors who attended the meeting which was presided by the Chairman of the forum, Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State includes Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta); Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia); Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa); Bala Mohammed (Bauchi); Ben Ayade (Cross River); Nyesom Wike (Rivers); David Umahi (Ebonyi – represented by his deputy,  Eric Igwe); Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu); Seyi Makinde (Oyo); and Bello Mattawale (Zamfara).

“The meeting resolved to set up two committees of the forum, namely the Legislative Liaison Committee, which is expected to liaise with both the national and state legislatures on legislative matters, and guide the forum on pending Bills, including the Electoral Act Amendment and constitutional review matters as it affects the forum; (and the) Legal Affairs Committee: This is expected to identify and coordinate legal matters affecting the forum. In particular, the committee is expected to guide the forum on local government, inter-state, and federal government relations.

“It is also expected to explore the various infractions of the constitution by the Federal Government, including the arbitrary and illegal deductions from the Federation Account.”

[dropcap]P[/dropcap]resident Muhammadu Buhari on Friday broke silence on the plethora of probes of government ministries, agencies and parastatals.

Speaking after Eid Kabir prayer, Buhari confirmed that there were abuse of trust by government officials. He was specifically reacting to the legislative probe of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

“There has been an abuse of trust by people trusted by the previous administration and this administration.

He explained that all of such cases would be uncovered and firmly dealt with by his administration.

Adding, he said: “A number of assets have been recovered and some money.

He assured Nigerians that all past and present allegations would be investigated with the appropriate sanction through investigative panel that has been put in place.

According to him, the introduction of TSA was meant to be a central point where all monies domiciled, adding that he had earlier directed that. assets confiscated should be sold and put in the TSA account.

By doing this, the President argued, will be impossible for the same people to misappropriate it again while expressing satisfaction that some stolen assets are being recovered, sold and proceeds put into the Single Treasury Account (TSA), which is inaccessible to the corrupt persons involved.

Grassroots Publishers earlier report that the Senate investigative panel has indicted the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio and the Interim Management Committee (IMC) headed by Pondei Daniel to the tune of N40 billion which was spent within three months from the NDDC account.

In the Committee report which was submitted to the Senate plenary, raised rage as Senators making contributions over the outcome of report that revealed the IMC spent N80.5 billion in six months expressing disappointment at how the NDDC has been turned into a cash cow.

In the resolution, Nigeria Senate called for the disbandment of IMC, as well as asking the beneficiaries of shared monies to refund.

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]T will be just and equitable for President Muhammadu Buhari to hand over to candidate from the Southeast in 2023, the Ohanaeze Youths said on Thursday. It insisted that it was the turn of the Southeast to produce the President’s successor.

According to him, for equity, peace and justice to reign, Nigerians, especially the North, should support the Southeast in their bid.

“Buhari should hand over to an Igbo candidate in 2023. It is a glaring fact that it is the turn of the Southeast in 2023,” Dozie said. To him, anything short of a President from the Southeast will not be fair to the region.

Also, President of Ohaneze Ndigbo in Anambra State, Chief Damian Okeke-Ogene, restated the organisation’s position that is the Southeast’s turn to produce President Buhari’s successor.

Dozie and Okeke-Ogene were reacting to a statement yesterday by past Secretary-General of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Chief Anthony Sani, who said that President Buhari was not a product of rotation.

Dozie said the former ACF scribe was expressing his personal opinion.

Mallam Mamman Daura, President Buhari’s family member, stirred the hornet’s nest when he said in an interview with the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on Wednesday that only the most competent, irrespective of region, should be elected as President in 2023.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) distanced itself from Daura’s statement.

Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, said: “That is not our position but a personal opinion by an individual who happens to be a member of our party.”

Similarly, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) denounced Daura’s comments.

Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Diran Odeyemi, said: “We shall come up with our zoning formula which will define where our presidential candidate will come from.”

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Delta State Government has officially inaugurated the SMART Delta Farmers Market, Abraka in Asaba. The inauguration was for use by the state governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, who was represented by the Commissioner for Power and Energy, Hon. Basil Ganagana.

The governor stated that the SMART Delta Farmers Market would serve as a central point for the selling of farm produce in Asaba. He said that apart from adding beauty to the Abraka area in Asaba, the SMART Delta Farmers Market was a brain child of the Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency to transform the environment for business activities to thrive.
The governor who, also, inaugurated the Abraka Garden and the new motor park, disclosed that the projects were clear indications that his transformed environment through urban renewal was on course.
He lauded the Director General of the Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency, Hon. Onyemaechi Mrakpor for turning dump sites into recreational and business centres.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu noted that the food stands, the garden and the park would provide employment opportunities and expand the frontiers of business activities in Asaba.
Mr. Aniagwu said that the giant strides of Hon. Mrakpor and her team in the Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency had positively given a new look to the metropolitan city of Asaba and its environs.
Earlier, the Director General of the Agency, Hon. Onyemaechi Mrakpor said that the new SMART Delta Farmers Market was part of efforts to establish a spot where people could go and buy food stuff such as rice, beans, yams and fruits on the road rather than the conventional market.
While saying that there is a bore-hole and water system toilet facility with a wash hand basin in the SMART Delta Farmers Market, Hon. Mrakpor said the garden was to beautify the environment, pointing out that the new motor park would be for vehicles to park, even as she pledged to redouble efforts in the state government urban renewal drive.

[dropcap]S[/dropcap]enator Ifeanyi Okowa , the Executive Governor of Delta State has congratulated the Asagba of Asaba, Obi (Prof.) Chike Edozien, on his 96th birth anniversary said that the Asagba had provided purposeful, courageous and tenacious leadership for the Asaba people over the years and deserved to be celebrated on his new, great and enviable age.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Olisa Ifeajika, in Asaba on Tuesday, the governor commended the monarch for making Asaba peaceful and investment-friendly since he ascended the throne of his forefathers 29 years ago.

He lauded the erudite professor and monarch for his contributions to the development of Asaba and for being a good host to Deltans and Nigerians as the traditional ruler of the capital city of Delta State.

Okowa added that His Majesty also initiated cultural and traditional reforms for the enhancement of the living conditions of the people of the kingdom, and ensured their appropriate recognition and strategic relevance in the ever-important traditional institution in our society.

“On behalf of the government and people of Delta, I warmly felicitate with His Royal Majesty, Obi (Prof.) Chike Edozien, CFR, the Asagba of Asaba, on the occasion of his 96th birth anniversary.

“We pray that the Almighty God will continue to give you good health and wisdom to pilot the traditional affairs of your kingdom and offer valuable contributions to the development of our dear Delta State and Nigeria,” he stated.

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he ultra-modern multi-billion naira state secretariat complex being executed by Delta Government in Asaba would be ready for inauguration in October, 2020.
The state Governor, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, made this known on Friday while speaking with journalists shortly after inspecting the flagship project.
Okowa, who expressed satisfaction with the level of work on the project in spite of delay occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, urged the contracting firm to sustain the pace of work.
He said that the internal works being done were laudable and promised to visit the site in the next four weeks with view to ensuring that project was inaugurated for workers to use as projected.
The governor pointed out that all papers relating to more logistics and funding of the complex had been approved, and pledged to ensure that nothing hindered the completion of the project on schedule.
On the provision of electricity for the gigantic edifice and other government offices in Asaba, the governor disclosed that government was partnering a private firm to handle the supply. He expressed optimism that the issue of power would be delivered soon so as to make the edifice and other government offices more comfortable for workers to give their best in productivity.
Conducting the governor round various sections of the edifice, the representative of the contracting firm, Mr Kester Ifeadi, said that everything needed for the project to be completed was already. He assured the governor that the project would be completed before the end of September.
Ifeadi commended the governor for his support towards the early completion of the project and said that the work would be completed in line with contractual agreement.
The governor was accompanied by the Commissioner for Housing, Chief Festus Ochonogor and his counterpart in Special Duties, Dr. Henry Sakpra.