Akpabio: Organogram to Make NDDC Bankable Entity Underway

Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja

The federal government has mandated Ernest & Young, one of the forensic auditors currently scrutinising
projects and activities of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) between 2001 and 2019, to evolve an organogram to make the interventionist agency a bankable institution.

Among others, this is to enable the commission approach any international institution to secure loans and do major projects capable of positively impacting the lives of the people of the region.

Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio disclosed this during a live radio participation programme organised as part of the activities marking the second term of the Buhari administration.

He said it was important that the ongoing forensic audit is concluded and handed over to President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that the recommendations and outcome of the exercise would be implemented by the new board that would be inaugurated soon to reposition the NDDC for effective service delivery in the region.

Akpabio stated: “People are commending Mr. President for the efforts, the delay notwithstanding. When the exercise is completed, NDDC cannot be the same again. We have solid forensic auditors; one of them in the head office is international, Ernest & Young.

“We have also mandated them to come up with an organogram that could make the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) a bankable institution. For example, they could go to any international institution and get money and be able to do major projects to change the lives of the people of the region.”

The minister recalled that the forensic auditors were inaugurated to scrutinise the activities of the NDDC that were mired in allegation of mind-boggling corruption in order to change the narrative of the region. This, he added, is in line with the presidential directive for a holistic examination and review of the operations of the NDDC from inception in 2001 to 2019 to ascertain the exact status of all contracts for projects and services as classified into completed, uncompleted, abandoned, ongoing and facilities that can be managed to be salvaged and whether appropriations made to the Commission are commensurate with developments on the ground.

He noted that due to lack of budgetary provision, the president had in July 2020, opted for the forensic audit to be funded through the budget of the Presidency.
According to him, presently, the exercise is on course and is expected to be concluded and submitted to the president by July 2021.

Akpabio said in pursuance of the mandate and commitment of the federal government to the development of the region, the supervision of the Commission was assigned to his ministry for administrative efficiency which brought about the commissioning of the completed NDDC headquarters after being abandoned for over 19 years.

He observed that for the first time, a minister visited the NDDC headquarters that was started in 1996 by the defunct Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC).