Politics: We don’t trust Senate to probe alleged NDDC N40bn expenditure scam — IPDI

Ijaw People's Development Initiative, IPDI, a rights group in the state of Delta, said on Friday that it did not trust the Senate's willingness to investigate the alleged N40 billion spending scam that shook the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, because the upper chamber talks from both sides of the mouth.

Mr. Austin Ozobo said; "Our attention has been drawn to the decision of the Senate to investigate high-profile corruption in the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC. Normally, the decision of the Senate to investigate the financial crisis in NDDC seems to be laudable and timely, because it would help to reveal all the frauds perpetrated by those chairing the tribunal.

But the Senate cannot be trusted, the reason being that the same Senate that vowed not to allow the Interim Management Committee to take over the affairs of the NDDC, later made a U-turn and released the Commission’s Budget to them. The truth is that Senate speaks from both sides of its mouth. We do not have confidence in its ability to carry out an effective investigation into financial recklessness in the Commission until we are proven wrong by the action of the Senate.

It is appalling that the Commission has been engulfed by multiple trillions of naira contracts. A lot of money has been diverted from the Commission's coffers to private accounts unrecognized by questionable companies and surrogate government officials.

The Senate is responsible for this mess rocking the Commission. It is worrisome that the Senate is playing politics with NDDC. It cannot be trusted as it could turn around overnight and begin to sing another song. There is, however, a need for an inquiry into the financial scam within the Commission, because it would serve to restore calm within the Commission, "IPDI said.

The group added: "It is shameful that the commission has been turned into a cash cow by a few corrupt government officials in the country, thereby undermining the purpose of establishing the Commission. Frankly, the Senate has not helped combat corruption in this region. The Senate tends to be a meeting of policy-makers. It seems to serve itself, not Nigerians. It talks to enlarge their mouths, not for anything else. The vote of the senate should have went a long way toward repositioning the Commission toward order to fulfill its original objective in existence, if any.

Truly, we have lost faith in the willingness of the Senate to conduct an successful survey of NDDC, as the decision seems to be a pure noise to impress gullible Nigerians who have grasped the modus operandi, "said the rights group.