As the federal government has ordered a forensic probe into the activities of the boards of corruption ridden Niger Delta Development (NDDC), a Civil Society Organisation, Corruption Watch has called for the investigation to be extended to the tenure of the NDDC board under the chairmanship of Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba and APC governorship candidate in the last election in Akwa Ibom State, Nisima Ekere, in view of getting to the roots of the issues surrounding the commission in recent times.
While Ndoma-Egba served as Chairman of the Commission, Ekere served as the Managing Director.
The group in a statement issued in Abuja, expressed concerns over the huge corrupt practices that are associated with the Commission, and wondered why critical actors in the recent past have not been called to account for their roles in the commission.
Briefing the media on its demand, the group’s Coordinator, Mallam Adamu Musa and National Secretary, Mr. Francis Nmeregini, called on the House of Representatives to expedite actions on their inquest, as the forensic audit ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari, takes a proper and all-inclusive nature.
“We are deeply worried on the selective nature of the inquiry by the National Assembly and demand that the investigation into the happenings in the NDDC be thoroughly done.
“Of peculiar worry is the fact that the period when Sen. Victor Ndoma-Egba was at the helm of affairs, a lot of projects were awarded. It is important to know the roles that administration played.
“It is important to state that this call is not targeted at anyone buy geared towards unravelling the truth in the Commission.
Earlier, another Rights Group, Human and Environmental Development Agenda, (HEDA) had called for a Public enquiry into the corruption allegations in the NDDC.
HEDA in a statement signed by its Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, said, “An independent probe will likely see members of the National Assembly panel as suspects. They should never think Nigerians will forgive them if they sweep the dirt under the carpet.
“The NDDC is a can of worms. The probe of the National Assembly has reached a dead end. What can salvage the situation is a public enquiry.”
