N1trn debt: Reps query Acting NDDC MD, summon Alaibe, Ekere, others

By Jacob Segun Olatunji and Kehinde Akintola, Abuja

He also said that he had evidence to nail a former executive director of finance of the commission, who demands 10% of any contract sum from any contractor that bided for a job in the commission.

However, the acting managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. (Mrs.) Dr. Enyia Akwagaga who appeared before the Committee for the first time after several failed summons attributed part of the problem creating many uncompleted projects by the commission to threats from erring contractors.

The Acting MD who appeared along the Executive Director of Finance and the Executive Director of project monitoring and inspection disclosed that there was always “subtle and open threats to NDDC top officials in recent past, whenever intention to terminate non-performing contractors” jobs was declared.

According to her, “subtle and open threats to NDDC top officials in recent past, whenever intention to bring erring contractors to book was declared.

She declared that a total of 9,820 contracts have been awarded from inception to date; out of which 4,288 were completed, 1,796 not yet started while 2, 645 were ongoing. She added that 342 projects have been stalled, 30 taken over, 449 cancelled and terminated even as 660 were newly awarded.

On the funding profile, she said that N2.832 trillion was budgeted from 2008 and 2018, N1.848 trillion, is actual receipts, N983bn outstanding funding variance, N1,374trillion outstanding gap based on amounts payable according to NDDC act, while N60.213billion was the unremitted funds due to NDDC through the Ecological Fund.

She lamented the underfunding of NDDC over the years and pleaded with the House to help them in the recovery of all payments due from the FG and oil and gas companies operating in the Niger Delta in accordance with the NDDC Act. (Nigerian Tribune)