NDDC: Group demands probe of Effiong Akwa, contractors

The Niger Delta Network (NDN) has called for the probe of Barrister Efiong Akwa, former sole administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The group, in a petition addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari and signed by Kennedy Adams (coordinator), Eric Igbinopogie (acting secretary general), and John Douglas, director, public communications, said contractors and contracts awarded within his tenure should be probed.

“Mr. President, we have reasons to believe that it was on the basis of trust that the presidency in 2019 approved and allocated resources to back the forensic audit which purpose was to check myriad of fraudulent activities in the NDDC in the past years. It is however sad, disheartening and rudely shocking to discover that under the same NDDC regime which had such high level of public trust, is alleged to have committed the worst and most devastating fraud in the history of the commission.

“It is our prayer that Mr. President SHOULD, without any reservation or delay, orders the EFCC and ICPC to thoroughly investigate the former Sole Administrator of NDDC, Mr. Effiong Akwa. ALL contracts issued within he tenure as the sole administrator SHOULD as a matter of urgency be investigated. ALL contractors and beneficiaries of prayer (2) should be invited for questioning.”

The petition further prayed that “Mr. President should direct the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to immediately publish list of contracts awarded by the Ministry and NDDC as well as the immediate auditing of personnel of NDDC. That Mr. President should stay true to his promise to make public the white paper of the forensic audit.”

The group also said “the development of our region has unfortunately been hampered by the aforementioned. It becomes the proverbial case of the custodian of the communal yam barn, stealing yams for himself. There can be no justification for the insidious impunity and high level corruption endemic in the Commission in spite of federal government’s efforts to sanity the system.”

The group commended Buhari for his “genuine efforts at developing the Niger Delta region and we pray God to continually give you the enablement to do more.”