NDDC forensic audit ends in July – Akpabio

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, said on Saturday the ongoing forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC) would be completed in July

President Muhammadu Buhari had in October 2019 ordered the forensic audit of NDDC since 2001 following allegations of funds misappropriation at the commission.

Akpabio, who stated this during the inauguration of the physical verification phase of the forensic audit at the Ibom Icon Hotels and Golf Resort Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, said the exercise involves the internal reforms of the NDDC.

He stressed that the 16  auditors selected for the field audit would now begin to identify and verify the projects across the Niger Delta.

 

 

 

 

The minister said: “It is the considered position of President Muhammadu Buhari that for us to have a properly constituted board for the NDDC, we should first take a look at what has happened to the commission since inception.

“There was nothing our detractors have not done to stop the forensic audit and this has led some people to wonder if the forensic audit has been aborted.

“The President is resolute that he cannot leave the Niger Delta and the NDDC the way he met it. As a demonstration of this commitment, he is funding the forensic audit from the budget of the Presidency. The security component of the audit exercise is very important because of the safety issues in the Niger Delta region.

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“We decided to start the audit exercise from the NDDC headquarters while security arrangements were being firmed up. The field visit is a critical next step, after which we go into the office to produce the reports.”

The NDDC Interim Administrator, Mr. Efiong Akwa, described the forensic audit as a serious and deliberate exercise, saying the committee would inspect the 12,000 projects scattered across the region.

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