Okodili Ndidi, Abuja and Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt
THE Citizens’ Quest for Truth Initiative, a Non- Governmental Organisation (NGO) championing right leadership and development in the Niger Delta region, has raised the alarm over alleged plot to scuttle the forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to cover the involvement of some politicians in the sleaze that bedeviled the Commission.
It also alleged that those behind the plot may be scheming to incite President Muhammadu Buhari to scrap the NDDC.
In a similar vein, some Niger Delta ex-militants have vowed to confront detractors in the region allegedly plotting to derail the ongoing forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The ex-militants said unfounded allegations against the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the commission were being sponsored by enemies of the region to frustrate the audit.
The Citizens’ Quest for Truth Initiative said the recent inquest by National Assembly into the N40 billion allegedly misappropriated by the Interim Management Committee is merely diversionary, adding that the move is suspicious, especially now that the Forensic Audit of the Commission has commenced.
In a statement signed by its President and Founder, Oby Ndukwe, the group argued that “those asking for the records cannot claim innocence over the sleaze that has been going on in the Commission”.
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It alleged further that those behind the plot to derail the forensic audit are equally scheming to tarnish the image of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, for insisting on auditing the accounts of the NDDC since it was created 19 years ago.
“From my findings, Akpabio is like a marked man in the field of play. He left PDP for the APC and that of course earned him more enemies in his former party. He was the Senate Minority leader and a key member of the PDP Caucus. And who is controlling the Committees on NDDC in the Senate; PDP of course. So, there is a correlation between the allegations and frustrations he is facing in a bid to turn around the fortunes of the region especially at the NDDC,” the group said.
The ex-agitators under the auspices of the 21st Century Youths of the Niger Delta and Agitators with Conscience (21st CYNDAC), said the perennial enemies of the region wanted the old order to continue at the expense of the region’s development.
The leader of group and self-styled general, Izon Ebi, in a statement on Thursday said any attempt to truncate the ongoing forensic audit spearheaded by Pondei and Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, would lead to fresh unrest in the region.
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