Forensic audit report:  FG to prosecute NDDC officials over N6trn allocation scandal

…Uncovers 362 bank accounts without reconciliation

By Uthman Salami

The Federal Government has announced that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) received an estimate of  N6trillion between the spate of 2001 and 2019.

This revelation was made known by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami while receiving the forensic audit report of the NDDC from the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, in Abuja yesterday.

In his words,  “It is on record that between 2001 and 2019, the Federal Government approved N3, 375, 735,776,794.93 as budgetary allocation and N2,420,948,894,191.00 as Income from Statutory and Non Statutory Sources, which brings the total figure to the sum of approximately N6 trillion given to the Niger Delta Development Commission.”

While receiving the report on behalf of the President, Malami said the Federal government was very disturbed that over thousands of projects being handled by the NDDC have their execution “substantially compromised,” adding that the commission had about 362 bank accounts that lack proper reconciliation.

He empathized that the  Federal government was concerned over what he described as the colossal loss borne out of uncompleted and unverified development projects in the Niger Delta region, despite the huge sum of N6trillion the commission received from the government in eight years.

He explained that the reason for the forensic audit was to ensure accountability in the use of public funds and bring sanity into the system.

“The essence of the forensic audit is to ensure probity and accountability in the use of public funds. It is against this background that the Federal Government will without hesitation strategically implement all aspects of the audit exercise that will promote probity and greater prosperity for the Niger Delta Region and Nigeria as whole,” Malami maintained.

According to him, “We have on record over 13,777 projects, the execution of which is substantially compromised.

“The Federal Government is also concerned with the multitudes of Niger Delta Development Commission’s bank accounts amounting to 362 and lack of proper reconciliation of accounts.”

Malami said it was clear that considerable resources have been channelled by the Federal Government to the development of the Niger Delta from 2001 to 2019.

He stated that it was therefore important for the Federal Government and the public to be properly informed of what has been spent and how that has been spent.

Meanwhile, the Attorney-General assured that the Federal Government would, as a matter of urgency, probe and prosecute those behind the mismanagement of funds meant for the development of the Niger Delta region.

He stressed that the huge gap between invested resources without commensurate infrastructural development called for the forensic audit of NDDC.

According to him, “We owe it a duty to the people of the Niger Delta Region to improve their standard of living through the provision of adequate infrastructural and socio-economic development.

“The welfare and socio- economic inclusion of the Niger Delta Region is paramount to the development and security of the region and by extension the Country.

“Funds spent on development activities should as a consequence promote political and socio-economic stability in the Region.

“It is evident that considerable resources have been channelled by the federal government to the development of the Niger Delta from 2001 to 2019.

“It is therefore important for the federal government and the public to be properly informed on what has been spent and how that has been spent.”

The AGF stated that, “The federal government will without hesitation strategically implement all aspects of the audit exercise that will promote probity and greater prosperity for the Niger Delta Region and Nigeria as whole.

“We will in consequence apply the law to remedy the deficiencies outlined in the audit report as appropriate.

“This will include but not limited to initiation of criminal investigations, prosecution, recovery of funds not properly utilised for the public purposes for which they were meant and review of the laws to reposition and restructure the NDDC, for efficiency and better service delivery, amongst others.

“In all these instances of action, legal due processes will be strictly complied with.”