President Muhammadu Buhari has finally directed that a close audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), which was set up in 2000 to develop the oil-rich Niger Delta region, should commence immediately.
The agency is suspected to have been enmeshed in irregularities regarding project execution and significant lack of accountability resulting in a failed mandate.
Despite the NDDC having been at work for nearly 20 years, the region remains largely underdeveloped.
Irked by yet to be proved financial irregularities and massive stealing, Buhari said on Thursday that the audit would cover nearly the entire history of the NDDC, from 2001 to 2019.
“With the amount of money the federal government has allocated to the NDDC, we’d like to see the results on the ground,” Buhari said, adding that “one cannot see” the work that should have come from billions spent by the group.
“Those that are responsible for that have to explain certain issues.”
The statement came after a visit to the presidential villa by governors of the states that make up the commission, led by Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State.
Buhari said he would wait for the concluded audit before taking any further action.