NDDC wants EFCC to probe failed contracts

The interim management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has invited the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for an interface with its auditors and also help probe cases of contracts that were paid for but not executed.

It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had also ordered the forensic audit of the operations of the interventionist agency between 2001 and 2019.

In a statement on Tuesday, the EFCC said the NDDC’s acting Managing Director, Kemebradikumo Pondei, made the request during a courtesy visit to the Port Harcourt Zonal office of the EFCC.

The statement quoted Mr Pondei as saying he was at the commission to establish good working relationship with the EFCC, while also expressing the need for the auditors of the NDDC to interface with the EFCC”.

Mr. Pondei, the statement further disclosed, also requested for the commission’s assistance in looking at cases of contracts awarded and paid for but not executed.

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“We have reports of projects awarded and paid for but not executed. There is need for us to work on these cases.

“Abandoned projects have become a source of distraction to the management”, he reportedly said, while the statement alsonqouted him as requesting for a status report on all NDDC cases being investigated by the EFCC.

Responding, the EFCC zonal head, Usman Imam, described the visit by the NDDC team as remarkable, noting that it will go a long way in helping to bridge whatever gaps exist between the agencies.

According to Imam, Pondei’s assignment appears daunting in the face of extreme negative public perception of the agency, noting that when he assumed office as zonal head, he believed that “NDDC was next to oil bunkering when it comes to corruption.

“I believe government is mindful of this negative image which is the reason for the appointment of the interim management committee and the institution of a forensic audit,” Mr Imam said.

He however called on the management of the NDDC to strive to change the perception by delivering on the mandate given to it by the president.

“I want to assure you that the commission is willing to support you through the investigation of any alleged case of fraud. What we require from you is willingness to share information and trust in our ability to handle such cases with dispatch,” he added.

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