Full Text of Press Conference by the NDDC Acting Executive Director Projects and Chairman Contract Verification Committee, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh


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WITHOUT PRESIDENT MOHAMMED BUHARI, NDDC WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED AND BURIED. IN SEVEN (7) MONTHS IN 2019, A TOTAL OF 1,921 EMERGENCY CONTRACTS VALUED AT (N1, 070,349,631,757.70) WAS AWARDED WHILE THE UNPROCESSED BUDGET OF THE NDDC WAS N350, 000,000,000.00.

1. You will recall that the Ag. MD/CEO, Dr. Joi Nunieh had on Friday 10th January 2020 in line with the directive of Mr. President inaugurated a Contract Verification Committee as a prelude to the ordered forensic audit, with my humble self as Chairman. It has thus become expedient of me as Chairman to address this press conference and make the following clarification.

2. The NDDC came into existence via the NDDC Act 2000 (19 years ago), not only to offer a lasting solution to the social economic and environmental problems of the Niger Delta region by conceiving and implementing plans aimed at developing the infrastructure, human capacity building but also to complement the efforts of the various state governments and other developmental agencies in the region. Whilst successive leadership of the NDDC may have done their best, today, the general conclusion of most stakeholders in the region is that the NDDC has not delivered on its mandate, at best a lack-luster performance, with very little to show for the humongous resources that have accrued to it over the past 19 years. Stories of pervasive corruption, flagrant abuse of due process, abandoned projects, poor quality project delivery, etc, at the NDDC, have adorned our media space over the years.


3. In an effort to stem this unfortunate tide, governors of the nine (9) states of the region, a couple of months ago, visited His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari to not only lay bare their perception of the Commission since it’s inception but to also as members of the Advisory Council of the NDDC, offer useful advice on the way forward to the President. The result of this historic visit is the ordering of a forensic audit of the activities of the NDDC from inception to date by the President.

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