Group Urges Buhari To Probe NDDC

A human rights group, the Nigerian Human Rights Community (NHRC), has urged President Muhamadu Buhari to probe the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), on its activities since its creation 16 years ago by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The group, which is a coalition of 135 civil rights groups in a statement on Thursday, jointly signed by its the National Secretary, Sola Ademuwagun and the South-South regional Coordinator, Werinipre Buokokiri Noel, said the probe was necessary to recover the billions of funds allegedly siphoned by successive leadership of the commission.

The rights group also said that it supports the ongoing anti-corruption campaign by the Federal Government and the call for the appointment of Ondo State indigene to manage the affairs of the Commission, adding however, that such a person must be prepared to look at the books of the agency with the aim of recovering public funds believed to have been looted.

“The NDDC is the richest agency ever set up by the Federal Government. Over N800 billion has been pumped into the institution since its creation 16 years ago. We are convinced that the probing of the NDDC will reveal a lot of scam,” the statement said.

According to the group, the NDDC became a tool for political patronage of the ousted Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the 16-year period, noting that the Federal Government has the ability to recover the billions of naira tied to corruption in the NDDC.

The group cautioned President Buhari against appointing politicians to manage the affairs of the Commission, adding that people with political ambition that have managed the Commission in the past ended up not working for people of the Niger-Delta.