By Omuboye Sukubo
Port Harcourt – An advocacy group for good governance, the Citizens Quest, has decried the alleged distraction posed by unregistered and unregulated bodies to the Niger Delta Development Commission’s (NDDC) progress.
The group’s National President, Chief Oby Ndukwe, made the assertion on Tuesday in Port Harcourt.
She said that the group was concerned about the unending petitions and allegations of widespread fraud against the NDDC which included the recent N4 billion contract on Lassa Fever and Maternal Kits among others.
Ndukwe said that the group was also worried about another alleged N5 billion contract on COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs), which the Commission had already disowned in a press statement and added that no such contract was awarded.
“As a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) which has been in the forefront of the campaign for good governance as well as accurate reportage of issues; we are determined to verify the veracity of the spurious claims, allegations and counter allegations rocking the commission for a long time now.
“We are not bound to believe these petitions by unregulated and unregistered bodies neither are we interested in slanting the truth to suit anybody’s whims and caprice,” the group said in a statement she co-signed with the National Publicity Secretary, Mr Francis Ndimkoha.
According to Ndukwe, it is obvious that certain interests are unwilling to see a new and improved NDDC.
“This is in spite of President Muhammadu Buhari’s stern directives for a Forensic Audit for the 20 years period of the existence of the intervention agency.
“There seems to be an orchestrated plot by persons who feel a sense of entitlement and ownership of the region, as such, they hurriedly flaunt already prepared petitions whenever there is a change of power.
“We have observed how these professional petition writers have crippled the activities of NDDC, while we do not excuse the inadequacies of some of those entrusted with the running of the agency,” she alleged.
Ndukwe said that the group had concluded plans within the confines of the law for compliance to the orders of the government, to go in search of the truth by verifying the claims.
“There seems to be so much in-fighting and attempts to slow the progress made so far by the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Mr Godswill Akpabio for a successful take off of the audit.
“More worrisome is that while Nigerians and the rest of the world are in a sober mood as a result of the ravaging Coronavirus and searching for a long lasting solution, some persons are strong enough to fight over money,” she added.
She then called for ”deep retrospection on the part of the restless hyenas and jackals.
”We hope to get the maximum support of all stakeholders to ease the search for the truth, as Citizens Quest is won’t to do,” Ndukwe said.
(NAN)
