By Emeka Okafor
Over sixteen months after President Muhammadu Buhari ordered a forensic audit into the activities of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Federal Government on Thursday received the audited report.
The audited reported was presented to the Federal Government by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, in Abuja.
President Buhari received the report through the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) on behalf of the Federal Government at a brief ceremony at his office.
Senator Akpabio, speaking on the outcome of the audit, said the forensic audited discovered 13, 700 abandoned projects across the states of the Niger Delta region.
According to him, 16 certified auditors were contracted to carry out the exercise within a duration of 16 months.
On his part, a lead forensic auditor, Alhaji Kabir Ahmed, said the report recommended downsizing of the NDDC board on the appointment of its leadership by the Federal Government.
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It also recommended that part-time membership of the board to check overhead cost on the part of the board.
According to Ahmed, oil companies operating in the region were owing the interventionist agency $4 billion.
The auditors further recommended review of the NDDC masterplan to make it mandatory for all development projects to be in line with the plan and on needs basis.
In his response, the Minister of Justice, Malami said the Federal Government of President Muhammadu Buhari is ready to apply the law to address the challenges identified in the report.
Malami explained that Buhari had to ordered a forensic audit of the commission to ensure accountability of the yearly budgets of NDDC since its establishment.
According to him, approximately N6 trillion has been approved as budgetary allocation to the Niger Delta since its formation.
