Senate sets up panel to probe ‘unauthorised spending’ by NDDC

The senate has set up an ad hoc committee to investigate alleged unauthorised spending by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in 2021 and 2022.

The upper legislative chamber took the decision following a motion sponsored by Adamu Aliero, senator representing Kebbi central, on Tuesday.

While moving the motion, Aliero alleged that the commission had breached provisions of the constitution by spending funds not approved by the national assembly.

The former Kebbi governor raised his objection after Amos Bulus, chairman of the NDDC committee, moved a motion for the senate to consider the commission’s 2021-2023 budgets.

The senate had suspended the consideration of the budgets after Seriake Dickson, senator representing Bayelsa west, protested.

At Tuesday’s session, the motion was adopted after it was put to vote by Senate President Ahmad Lawan.

The senate also suspended consideration of the NDDC’s budgets until its probe is concluded.

Lawan said there was a need to find out what happened.

“We are faced with a situation where expenditure was done probably for more than six months or probably 80 percent of the expenditure has been done and we need to know what has happened,” the senate president said.

The ad hoc committee probing the alleged illegal spending would be chaired by Yusuf Yusuf, senator representing Taraba central.

Senators Dickson, Uche Ekwunife, Abdullahi Yahaya, Saidu Alkali, Adetunbi Olubunmi, and Sadik Sulaiman are members of the committee.

It was given one week to turn in its report.