Minister restates commitment to NDDC’s forensic audit

The Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Tayo Alasoadura, has restated that the forensic audit ordered for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) by President Muhammadu Buhari would yield positive result, assuring Nigerians that those who stole public funds in the past would be exposed.

He justified the presidential order to recompose the commission’s board.

According to him, the Federal Government has mapped out plans to carry out a situation analysis on projects executed in the region since the establishment of the interventionist in 2001.

Alasoadura disclosed at a media parley with members of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Akure, adding that the findings of the audit would shock Nigerians.

The former representative of Ondo Central District confirmed that most of the dubious contractors who had abandoned many NDDC projects have returned to site for fear of the probe.

“But I learnt that work has stopped in some areas. I will embark on an assessment tour of the state where we have NDDC projects to inspect the works going on there. This development came as a result of the forensic audit,” he stated.

Alasoadura noted that a critical assessment of the situation in the region would enable the present administration to assess the impact of activities and programmes to enable it formulate new policies to effectively address the challenges.

The Ondo indigene said the ministry’s 2020 budget takes care of massive infrastructure development in his home state, including the Araromi-Lekki-Akodo expressway, deep-sea port and Olokola Free Trade Zone.

He added: “I have suggested to my colleague, Senator Godswill Akpabio, the need to support Olokola sea port. What makes Lagos the commercial nerve centre in our country is the seaport and we are going to achieve it.

“Our focus is to do legacy projects that all Niger Deltans will be proud of.”

The minister assured the people that the president was committed to changing the face of the region by tackling the challenges and opening up the area for investors.