An accountability and advocacy
group, the Citizens Quest for Truth
Initiative, has dismissed the
National Assembly’s probe of the
activities of the Niger Delta
Development Commission (NDDC)
as a mere ruse that cannot
midwife the desired
transformation in the
Commission.
It insisted that the outcome of
the “much touted” NASS probe is
premediated, adding that no
meaningful probe can be carried
out by same persons who have
been directly or remotely
involved in the plundering of the
interventionist agency.
The group which participated and
made presentations at the Public
hearing at the both Chambers,
expressed dissatisfaction at the
exercise, adding that the
Committee was merely
pretending to be objective and
fighting for the “beleaguered
Niger Delta people”.
They argued that blaming the
five-month old Interim
Management Committee for the
over two decades financial
malfeasance in the Commission,
amounts to getting a scapegoat
to take the blame, while the
perpetrators go scot free.
According to a statement signed
by its President and Publicity
Secretary, Chief Obiaruko Christie
Ndukwe and Francis Ndimkoha,
respectively, the group stressed
that, “it is funny how the cabal
that has held down the NDDC for
two decades are now the same
set of people posturing with a
holier than thou disposition and
suffocating the media space with
tales of how the five months old
Interim Management Committee
(IMC) of the NDDC suddenly
became the reason the
Commission failed to achieve its
core mandate, in the past 20
years”.
It added that, “the bias of the
National Assembly was so
obvious, they couldn’t successfully
hide it, in as much as they
pretending and still pretend to be
objective and fighting for the
beleaguered Niger Delta people”.
The statement also noted that
“the National Assembly, sequel to
a motion, simultaneously
deliberated upon, in the Senate
and the House of Representatives,
on 5th of May, 2020, proceeded
to hold a Public hearing on the
“Need to Investigate the Alleged
Financial Malfeasance and other
Activities in the Niger Delta
Development Commission (NDDC).
“This move, ordinarily, should get
due applause from the Niger
Delta people and Nigerians at
large, but alas, it has been
greeted with mixed feelings due
to the allegations of culpability in
the sleaze, also leveled against
the Lawmakers by the present
Management of the NDDC and it’s
supervising Minister.
“A cross section of Nigerians,
particularly outside the Niger
Delta, have hailed this move,
because it adorns a garb of a
good intent to serve the people.
Many others, mostly, leaders cum
stakeholders in the Niger Delta
region, have seen through the
exercise and to them, it looks,
every inch, a charade, or better
still, a perfect smokescreen to
shield the real culprits from being
unveiled, considering that the
main bulk of the contracts were
awarded to those who should
oversight the Commission for
over 19 years”.