Group tells NDDC to provide evidence of corruption against NASS members

A youth group, Progressive Delta Youths (PDY), has challenged the management of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to make the evidence of corruption linking members of the National Assembly to any form of fraud in the commission public.

PDY coordinator Comrade Komeh Nathaniel in a statement described the “endless schemes by NDDC management to frustrate their expected appearance before the National Assembly to clear themselves of several allegations of corruption leveled against them” as annoying and minister Godswill Akpabio and the IMC as the real enemies of the Niger Delta people.

Reacting to a press statement by an NGO in favour of the NDDC, Nathaniel dared the management of the commission to publish the list of corrupt National Assembly members it claimed had been paid for contracts that were never executed.

Nathaniel stated that “it was quite clear now that members NDDC management team have so many things to hide.

“The release therefore stated that the fear of guilt has been revealed in the inability of NDDC team to muster the needed courage to go before the probe panel of the National Assembly and defend themselves of all corruption allegations.

“There have been several corruption allegations leveled against both Godswill Akpabio and the IMC members; yet they have chosen to spend billions of naira to frustrate their appearance before the investigative probe panel of the National Assembly rather than to toe the noble path of clearing their names.

“The latest 14 days ultimate given to the NASS Committees to drop the plan to probe the Interim Management Committee of the NDDC has confirmed the corruption allegations leveled against these individuals.

“A mere invitation to appear before an investigative probe panel for few days should have even been an opportunity for these people to prove their innocence if they do not have anything to hide.

“We challenge these people to immediately expose and report to the appropriate anti-corruption agencies any member of the National Assembly they claimed to have collected money for contracts that were never executed. Otherwise, these people should bury their heads in shame for making allegations they can’t substantiate.”

While reacting to the claim of plan by members of the National Assembly to frustrate the ongoing forensic auditing of the commission, the group coordinator stated that it was shameful that NDDC team have been hiding under the umbrella of forensic auditing to loot the NDDC dry.

He called on the good people of Niger Delta region to encourage the “National Assembly never to shy away from implementing section 87 of Nigerian constitution which states that no agency of government is immune from the oversight responsibilities of the National Assembly.”