The Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF has appealed to the decision of the leadership of the National Assembly to not to allow persons with vested interests compromise the investigation into allegations of mismanagement of funds in the Niger Delta Development Commission,(NDDC).
National Chairman of PANDEF and former military administrator of Akwa Ibom State, Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (retd) who appealed in a statement made available to newsmen yesterday in Uyo pointed out that pressures may be put on the National Assembly to abandon the inquiry.
His words, “The glut of petitions in the public domain against the interim management committee is not only disturbing but embarrassing. PANDEF, therefore, welcomes the setting up of Committees by both Chambers of the National Assembly to investigate the allegations.
“The probes would help determine the validity or otherwise of the assertions, and save the people of the Region from the anguish of the humiliation.
“PANDEF, therefore, implores the Committees of both the Nigerian Senate and the House of Representatives saddled with the task to rise above board, and write their names in gold, by conducting a thorough investigation, without fear or favour.
“They should be mindful of persons with vested interests that may attempt to frustrate or compromise the investigation. It is also not unexpected that pressures may be put on the National Assembly even by highly placed individuals to abandon this inquiry.
“We thus urge members of the National Assembly to be true patriots, and not accommodate partisan considerations in this probe, because the hope of the people of the Niger Delta region and indeed Nigerians, for an improved NDDC, is at stake” Nkanga noted that stakeholders of the region were concerned over the developments at the NDDC, and even Mr President’s reported extension of the period of the Interim Management Committee to December 2020 despite the allegations.
He recalled that PANDEF had supported the forensic audit of the NDDC, ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 as well as appealed for support for the setting up of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NDDC to carry out the audit when some Niger Deltans had opposed to it.
“PANDEF’s backing of the forensic audit was informed by the appalling state of infrastructure in the region, and the Commission’s continued failure to fast-track the region’s development.
