Heads may roll at NDDC

Posted by admin Niger Delta Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

Palpable apprehension has gripped top shots at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) following reported submission by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim, of the report of the Steve Oronsaye-led Committee to President Goodluck Jonathan last weekend.

The SGF, sources said, had reviewed the recommendations of the committee and attached an executive summary to the report for a final action by the president on the fate of the management and board of the interventionist agency.

President Jonathan had announced the composition of the eight-man committee and inaugurated by the SGF, following series of petitions occasioned by bickering among the leaders of the commission bordering on alleged violation of due process in its operations and financial malfeasance.

The committee, headed by former head of service of the federation, Mr. Steve Oronsaye, was mandated to investigate the activities of the commission and ascertain the genuinety or otherwise of the allegations levelled against the management and submit an interim report to the SGF by last week.

It was gathered that the SGF had submitted the report at weekend leading to apprehension among the dramatis personae at the Port Harcourt headquarters of the commission, as it was feared that the president was ready to wield the big stick on anyone indicted by the committee.

The commission had been enmeshed in series of allegations of mismanagement following which the former SGF, Ahmed Yayale, had to query the chief executive of the commission and some executive directors but nothing was heard after the query.
However, it could not be ascertained yesterday what the recommendations of the committee were nor the content of the executive brief forwarded by Anyim.

Some sources had squealed that the committee had established culpability of the management in the contentious opening of account and transfer of $20 million from Union Bank, UK and opening and deposit of the fund in another current/deposit account in the First Bank UK.

The panel established the resolution of the NDDC’s governing board was forged to accomplish the mission. It was also revealed that the action was carried out without the mandatory approval of the accountant-general of the federation as required by the NDDC Act and Section 701 of the Federal Government Financial Regulations.

It was further uncovered that the approval of the accountant-general of the federation to open the said account was obtained in December 2010 after the account had been opened in September 2010.
A source, who claimed to be privy to the recommendation of the committee though did not mention names but stated that the “committee’s position is that the purported approval given by the accountant-general of the federation in December 2010 for the management to open an offshore aaccount that has already been opened and operated since September 2010 is illegal, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.”

“The panel discovered that while $20 million was withdrawn from the ailing Union Bank, a sum of $58 million was left in the same “sinking Union Bank.” Our sources revealed that the panel revealed that no interest has been credited to the NDDC from September 2010, when the account was opened, to date.

“Besides, the panel established that the transfer of another $37million to the contentious First Bank UK offshore account bringing the total funds in the account to $57million. Furthermore, our sources in the Presidency stated that infraction of the Public Procurement Act (PPA) was established in the award of over 500 contracts worth over N120billion, without budgetary provision.
“The SGF (Senator Anyim Pius Anyim) has presented an executive summary and the main report of the Oronsaye Panel to President Goodluck Jonathan for his perusal and necessary action.

“The panel established culpability on a number of issues, especially the opening of the offshore account in the First Bank UK, the award of some contracts worth N120billion and the award of the consultancy service contract of about N27billion, out of which N4.7billion has been released to the contractor, among other recommendations.

“The brief from the SGF (Senator Anyim Pius Anyim) has presented the report to his boss (Jonathan), who has the final say on the NDDC debacle and I can tell you that the report is attracting the attention of Mr. President (Jonathan) in the Presidential Villa. A definite pronouncement would be made on the matter in due course,” added the source, who pleaded anonymity.
Meanwhile efforts made to reach Abraham Ogbodo, the NDDC spokesman were futile as several calls made to his mobile phone did not go through.

Meanwhile, a group, Niger Delta Coalition for Justice and Good Governance (NDCJGG) has asked Jonathan to study the report critically with a view to sanitising the commission.
The group, in a statement signed by its President, Comrade Iniobong Bassey and Secretary, Mr. Ebohon Osadolor, on Monday, said, “Now that the report of the Mr Stephen Oronsaye-led Presidential Fact-Finding Committee has been submitted to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, it is the hope by all the stakeholders in the Niger Delta that there is going to be a light at the end of the tunnel in sanitizing the NDDC.
“Only a timely, decisive and drastic action by President Goodluck Jonathan on the findings of the Oronsaye committee can bring the Commission out of the intensive care unit of the Presidency.”

-Sunwp_posts