Even as the dust raised by sordid revelations and drama arising from the probe of the interim management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) are yet to settle, another round of controversy could be in the offing following the resolution by the house of representatives to probe the management of North-East Development Commission (NEDC) over the alleged mismanagement of N100 billion allocated to it by the federal government.
The plan to probe the activities of the NEDC followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Ndudi Elumelu, minority leader of the house, on Thursday.
While moving the motion, Elumelu said the N100 billion given to the commission by the federal government had disappeared without a trace. He alleged that Mohammed Goni Alkali, the commission’s managing director, was awarding fictitious contracts to cronies and fronts.
“The N100 billion so far disbursed to the commission by the federal government is said to have vanished under a year without any visible impact on the refugees nor any infrastructural development credited to the name of the commission in the whole of the north-east,” Elumelu said.
“The corrupt practices include high handedness by the managing director, Mohammed Goni Alkali, over inflation of contracts, awards of non existent contracts, massive contract splitting and flagrant disregard for the procurement laws in the award of contracts.
“There are allegations of how the minister of humanitarian affairs and disaster management, Sadiya Farouk, was said to have entered into an unholy deal with the managing director of the commission to illegally withdraw money for the purchase military vehicles without any recourse to the board.
“The act, which completely disregards the country’s procurement laws, must be seriously frowned at.”
The house adopted the motion after it was put to a voice vote by Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house.
The motion was referred to the house committees on finance, procurement and NEDC. The report on the probe is expected to be submitted to the house in eight weeks after the resumption of plenary by the legislators.
The NEDC was established in 2017 to reconstruct states affected by the menace of the Boko Haram terrorist sect.
