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HomeNewsEconomyNDDC has no approval for 1,691 contracts, operates 22 bank accounts

NDDC has no approval for 1,691 contracts, operates 22 bank accounts

Members of Senate Committee on Public Account were surprised on Wednesday as the Niger Delta Development Commission ‎was unable to show approval for 1,691 contracts awarded by the Commission between 2014 and 2016.

The members of the Commission, wh‎o appeared before Senate Committee on Public Accounts, could only make available six approvals for contracts out 1,697 contracts claimed to have been executed by the commission.

The Senate Committee was also infuriated over the operation 22 bank accounts instead of four approved for the Commission before the ‎introduction of the Treasury Single Account.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Andy Uba, lambasted the Commission for its disregard for accountability.

The chairman said the committee decided to look into the details of contracts awarded by the Commission because ‎of series of petitions written against the agency in the award of contracts.

Uba‎ said: “The Committee as part of its mandate of ensuring accountability and transparency in the management of the Public Accounts of the Federation and on receipt of petitions of corruption on the award of contracts at the commission decided to embark on special oversight on income and expenditure of the commission.

“Sequel to the above, the committee wrote the commission on 23rd and 30th August, 2016 requesting for information on revenue, expenditure and personnel information.

“The commission was to respond within the period of two weeks, but it never responded.
“The committee wrote a reminder on the 16th September, 2016 and invited the acting Managing Director to appear before it on 20th September, 2016.

“The Commission refused to furnish the committee with the requested information and the Managing Director did not appear before the Committee.

“The Committee, again, wrote another reminder to the commission on the submission of the requested information and rescheduled the appearance of the MD to Thursday, 22nd September, 2016.

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“The commission formally wrote requesting for a new appointment on 23rd September, 2016.
“The commission only made submission on the requested information on 13th October, 2016.

“It took the commission more than a month to make its submission.
“Arising from the above, it can be deduced that the commission has no regard for the Committee and by extension the Senate.

“The commission do not take matters of accountability seriously.
“The commission may not have been keeping proper records of its income and expenditure, hence the delay in submission.
“The commission may have something to hide.”

In her response, the Acting Managing Director of the Commission, Ibim Semenitari, explained to the ‎Committee that the agency failed to honour its invitation due to the enormous tasks before it.

Semenitari vowed before the committee that all the needed documents will be provided within the stipulated time by the committee.

The NDDC boss later informed the committee that a total of N23.5 billion had been given to the Commission by ‎the Federal Government in addition to N87.1 billion received from oil companies as part of their contributions to the NDDC budget.

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