N100 Billion Dirty Contracts: Senate Summons Top NDDC’s Management Staff

By Rex Enabulele/Abuja 

 There is more trouble for top staff members of the Nigerian Delta Development Commission (NDDC), as the Senate Public Accounts Committee has summoned top management staff members of the commission over an alleged scandalous N100bn contracts awarded to 626 firms.

According to the Committee, a special periodic check carried out on the activities and programmes of the NDDC by the Office of the Auditor General for the Federation, also revealed that the contractor allegedly abandoned the projects after collecting mobilisation.

The Chairman of the Senate committee, Senator Mathew Urhoghide, who revealed the dirty deals during the week, said that the periodic checks covered between January 1, 2013, and June 30, 2018.

Urhoghide said the management of the NDDC had been invited to appear before it on Wednesday.

The Chairman explained that the Committee will personalise any refund that is traceable to an individual during the investigation.

He described as “painful”, the fact that over N100bn was allegedly spent on contracts in the NDDC without justification for the spending.

“We had invited the NDDC to come and appear before us because they haven’t presented records of the financial transactions involving the contracts. They will appear before us on Wednesday.

“They have 47 queries and we are going to scrutinise everything and we are going to personalise any refund. It is painful that N100bn were spent without justification for it.

“We equally invite them for status inquiry on all revenues into their accounts. We are waiting for the NDDC, if they don’t come, we will take necessary action against them”, Senator Urohighide explained.

“It was observed that so many contractors were paid mobilisation fee to enable them to commence the execution of the projects awarded to them.

“Contrary to the terms and agreement some of the contractors bolted away after collection of the mobilisation fees.

“The surprising aspect of it was that the practice involved 626 contractors in which the sum of N61.4bn was lost to fraudulent practices”, findings of the Senate committee stated.

The Committee stated further that there were irregularities in a contract awarded to one construction firm for the construction of Gbaregolor- Gbekbot -Ogulagha road at the cost of N16.1bn.”