In the last two weeks, the Senate and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) have been embroiled in accusations and counter accusations and blackmail over alleged misappropriation of N40billion by the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NDDC. Taiye Odewale reports.
The genesis
The genesis of what can be described as unending fireworks between the Senate and the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Niger Delta Development Commission ( NDDC), started the very day the upper legislative chamber on the strength of a motion sponsored to that effect by Senator George Sekibo (PDP Rivers East), mandated an ad-hoc committee to carry out thorough investigation on N40billion allegedly misappropriated by IMC between January and March this year.
Since the Senator Olubunmi Adetunbi (APC Ekiti North) led Ad- hoc committee, got the legislative mandate for the probe exercise, the Kemebradikumo Pondei-led IMC, has taken battle against the probe to the Senate and by extension, the National Assembly.
Pondei fires back
Most recent of such battles was the media briefing the NDDC Acting Managing Director had with journalists in Port Harcourt last week Tuesday, where he among others, alleged that the planned investigation of finances of the commission by the National Assembly was a ploy to frustrate forensic auditing being carried by the Presidency.
Pondei at the briefing alleged that National Assembly inserted over 500 projects into the 2019 budget of the agency and arm twisting the IMC from carrying out forensic audit as directed by President Buhari.
According to him, the overbearing stranglehold of the National Assembly panels was responsible for the delay in the passage of the 2019 budget in March 2020. Mr Pondei described as false the allegations by some groups that the IMC misappropriated billions meant for the development of the Niger Delta.
The allegations according to him, “were the handiwork of people and groups who were afraid that the ongoing forensic audit would reveal their corrupt dealings with past NDDC managements”.
He pointedly declared that the ongoing probe by the National Assembly committees on NDDC was meant to arm-twist and force the IMC to tamper with the forensic audit.
“We have faced so much pressure from some members of the National Assembly not to send certain files to forensic auditors. We refused because we fear this will compromise the process.
“Similarly, we have also faced pressure to pay for 132 jobs which have no proof of execution as well as pay out N6.4 billion for those jobs.
“We believe that an IMC set up as a cleansing structure cannot become part of an old story of rot. Hence, the need to break the stranglehold on the commission by some politicians who had turned NDDC to their cash cows”, he said.
Senators got 1000 NDDC contracts
Like coordinated attacks, while Pondei was launching his own against the National Assembly, Executive Director of the Commission on Projects Execution, Cairo Ojougboh, also launched series of attacks against the National Assembly by alleging among others that Some Senators got over 1000 contracts from the NDDC.
Cheap blackmail against NASS
Expectedly the chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP Delta North), reacted Wednesday last week by debunking all the allegations either from Pondei or Ojougboh.
Nwaoboshi in his reaction at a press briefing in his office said all the separate allegations from the duo against the Senate in particular and the National Assembly generally, were nothing but mere fabrications.
Nwaoboshi alleges that the ongoing probe exercise on finances of the commission by both chambers of the National Assembly triggered the open media attacks against the National Assembly by the IMC.
He said: “We are responding to the allegations of the IMC to correct the misrepresentation. If they claim that some 1000 jobs were given to any Senator, we challenge the IMC members to compile the list of these contracts and publish them.
“Also, the EFCC, Police or ICPC should be reached to investigate those claims instead of blackmailing anybody. What we are seeing is a case of a man sent to catch the thief but instead of catching the thief, he starts stealing too.
“If members of the IMC know that their hands are clean, they don’t need to panic or resort to blackmail which would not in any way deter the already mandated investigative committees of the National Assembly from carrying out their legitimate assignments.
“Their lies have short legs and unfortunately cannot run fast or fly. IMC must be ready to submit itself for thorough investigation by committees already assigned for that by both chambers of the National Assembly”.
NASS won’t back out
However rather than abating, accusations and accusations between the two bodies on the planned probe exercise worsened Sunday with the spokesman of the Upper legislative chamber, Senator Ajibola Basiru (APC Osun Central), declaring that no amount of blackmail from NDDC, would make Senate back out of the very important national assignment.
Senator Basiru in a statement issued to that effect on behalf of the Senate, specifically slammed Cairo Ojougboh for allegedly spreading falsehoods against the Senate and by extension, the National Assembly on ongoing investigations being carried out on financial transactions of IMC led NDDC between January and March this year.
The statement titled: “NDDC: National Assembly cannot be blackmailed or Intimidated “, reads “the attention of the Senate has been drawn to a statement credited to Dr. Cairo Ojougboh the Executive Director of Projects of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) under the Interim Management Committee (IMC) that Senators and Members of House of Representative are behind the fraud in NDDC.
“Ordinary, while we are still at a loss as to why Dr Ojougboh has repeatedly made such allegations at a time when the NDDC is under scrutiny of forensic audit and investigation by the National Assembly, the Senate is even more surprised considering the fact that the allegations are baseless and unsubstantiated.
“Apparently Dr. Cairo Ojougboh is ignorant of the constitutional mandate of the National Assembly to carry out oversight function over all agencies expending government resources with a view to exposing and preventing corruption, abuse and inefficiency.
“It stands logic in the head to claim that by invoking its constitutional power of oversight to investigate the activities of the IMC, the National Assembly intends to scuttle forensic audit. The outlandish claim is illogical”.
Senator Basiru in the statement wondered whether there is an adverse relationship between oversight function of the National Assembly and a forensic audit which Ojougboh has been using as fulcrum of his blackmail against the federal lawmakers.
NDDC must be repositioned
According to him, while the National Assembly is committed to reposition the NDDC to address the challenges of the Niger Delta through facilitating the rapid and sustainable development of the Niger Delta it is however naturally concerned about the allegations of poor management or outright fraud in the management of the funds and operations of the commission.
The setting up of the investigation, the statement added, is predicated on the above concern and not to victimise or witch-hunt anyone.
“It was also in this regards that the National Assembly has accorded the executives the necessary cooperation that will facilitate the completion of the forensic audit”, he stressed.
The Senate in the statement, further wondered that Dr Cairo Ojougboh as a former member of the House of Representatives should know that the National Assembly is vested with the powers of appropriation for all government ministries, departments and agencies including the NDDC.
“Therefore, on the allegations in respect of the budget, one wonders whether this it is not a ruse as to why it is being brought up in the wake of exercise of oversight function by the National Assembly. It clearly smacks of cheap blackmail predicated on falsehood.
“Also, one would have expected an organisation of integrity to have formally made complaints to the anti corruption agencies of the purported allegations against Senators and Members of House of Representative of the NDDC committees if there are facts to substantiate same.
“This is a very disturbing trend and the Senate will not tow this path. The proper avenue to challenge exercise of power of the National Assembly is the court of law and not spewing falsehood on pages of newspapers and electronic media”, he added.
The accusations and counter accusations between the two bodies are obviously disturbing, but Nigerians are definitely watching how the scenario would end.
