The Senate Public Accounts Committee has asked the management of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to explain how it paid N698m for regional security surveillance of the agency’s projects without evidence
of service delivery.
Senator Matthew Urhoghide-led committee issued the query while scrutinising the 2018 report of the Auditor General for the Federation.
The AuGF had indicted the NDDC, while reviewing the agency’s accounting records between 2013 and 2018.
The audit report noted that the contract for the surveillance was not subjected to open competitive bidding according to Public Procurement Act 2007 24 (1).
“It was observed from the payment documents that between January 2017 and June 2018 that the sum of N698m were expended or transferred to private security consultants for the Regional Security Surveillance of
NDDC projects in Niger Delta.
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“Engaging private security outfits in this volatile terrain is highly doubtful as they cannot be better than the Nigerian Military , police , NSCDC who are always at the service of the Commission.
“The audit team made relentless efforts to site the contract files of the security consultants with the view to verifying the term of engagement and the NSCDC clearance proved abortive .
“Thus, making it very difficult or if not impossible to verify this claim as many of the purported private security consultants are not security outfits”, the report stated.
Audit inspection at the Niger Delta states offices and subsequent visitations to the project site, according to the audit report could not any project.
“Therefore, these are viewed as payment for services not executed contrary to Financial Regulations 708&3104”, the report explained.
“The Management should ensure that the consultants refund the sum of N689m babe furnish the office of the Auditor General for the Federation with evidence of recovery for authentication.”
