The Senate Thursday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Professor Kemebradikumo Pondei-led Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NDDC for alleged financial recklessness.
It also recommended that the NDDC should be returned to the Office of the SGF for proper supervision.
The agency, which was formerly supervised by the SGF, is now being oversighted by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs following recent directives by the presidency.
In addition, the Senate called on the IMC to refund the N4.923 billion it paid to staff and contractors in breach of the procurement process and approvals.
These resolutions were taken after the consideration of the report of the Senate Ad hoc Committee on the alleged N40 billion fraud at the commission, presented to the Senate yesterday.
During the debate on the report, senators blamed the alleged corruption in the commission on the failure of the National Assembly to carry out its constitutional responsibility of checking against abuses by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Some senators noted that the committees of the Senate, particularly the one in charge of NDDC, had not done enough to expose corruption in the agency.
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The Senate in considering the report of the Senator Olubunmi Adetumbi-led committee, resolved that alleged involvement of some members of the National Assembly in abuse of procurement process in the NDDC should be investigated by its Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions Committee, headed by Senator Patrick Akinyelure. The committee was given a four-week deadline to submit its report.
Adopting the report of the ad hoc committee, the Senate also recommended that the monitoring and advisory bodies recognised by the NDDC Act should be inaugurated without further delay.
The Senate also approved that the N4.923 billion paid to staff and contractors in breach of procurement process and approvals be refunded to the NDDC treasury.
A breakdown of the refunds include N85.7 million for overseas travel to the United Kingdom; N105.5 million for scholarship grants; N164.2 million for union members trip to Italy; N1.96 billion for procurement of Lassa fever kit; N1.12 billion for public communications and N1.49 billion spent on COVID-19 palliatives.
Adetunmbi, while presenting the report, said: “In conclusion, the committee noted that it is difficult to find a correlation between Niger Delta community development and cash invested in the zone.
“Continued cash injection in the Niger Delta has not worked under the various IMCs.
“It may be useful at this juncture for the government to intervene by stepping down the EIMC (Executive Interim Management Committee), thereby helping them leave the stage for a properly constituted board with specific mandate to address the pains of the Niger Delta people.”
In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, stated that the presidency was awaiting the report of the Senate on NDDC.
He said: “President Muhammadu Buhari is waiting for this report and it will receive the attention it deserves. I am hopeful that this report and recommendations will get the attention it deserves.
“The Senate and the National Assembly have been sensitive to the yearnings of the people of the Niger Delta to ensure that special developmental attention is given to the zone.
“But those given the responsibility to mitigate the problems in the zone have squandered the resources. This report has exposed the corruption in the NDDC.”
