The acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Kemebradikumo Pondei, has admitted that the commission spent N1.5 billion for staff as ‘COVID-19 relief funds’.

He made this statement at the investigative hearing on the N40 billion corruption allegation against the commission.

The Senate had on May 5 set up a seven-man ad-hoc committee to investigate the “financial recklessness” of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the commission.

The lawmakers said, within the last three months, the commission has spent over N40 billion of the commission’s fund ”without recourse to established processes of funds disbursement which has opened up further suspicion among stakeholders of the Niger Delta Region.”

They also faulted the IMC’s ”arbitrary use of executive power in an alleged wrongful sacking of management staff without recourse to established civil service rules and practice with the aim of allegedly concealing the fraudulent financial recklessness they have committed.”

Mr Pondei and other delegates from the commission appeared before the committee on Thursday for the hearing.

Part of the audit report read out by the chairman of the committee, Olubunmi Adetunmbi, said N3.1 billion was spent as COVID-19 funds between October 2019 and May 2020.

In the report, the lawmaker said ”N10 million was paid to one person, N7 million to two people, N5 million to three people, 148 people took N3 million each, 157 people got N1.5 million each, 497 people got N1 million each and 464 people were paid N600,000 each.”

Another N475 million was given to the police to purchase face masks and hand sanitisers, he added.




Responding to questions regarding the COVID-19 Relief Fund paid to NDDC staff, the MD said ”only N1.5 billion was used to take care of staff” despite being paid their salaries.

He explained that part of the fund was for the youth of Niger Delta.

”The youth were given palliatives to help cushion the effect of the pandemic on the people. The youth were idle and to avoid violence, they were paid,” he said.

“Five million for youths and five million for women and five million for people living with disabilities in each senatorial district,” he said.

He said ”the remaining fund was spent on staff of the commission.”

“We used it to take care of ourselves. We are NDDC, we need to take care of ourselves too,” he said.




He further explained that the IMC inherited debts upon assumption of office ”that needed to be cleared on time.”

He said the previous management owed hotels and had unpaid electricity bills of about N26 million.










When asked why the police was given N475 million, Mr Pondei said a request was made from ”the high command of police and the management took a look at it and approved it.”

He explained that the money ”was an intervention and the NDDC is expecting a report as to how the money was spent.”


Meanwhile, the acting deputy director, projects, Cairo Ojougboh, added that the money given to police is for nine states of the Niger Delta region.

The investigative hearing will continue on Friday, the chairman said.

https://www.inform.ng/post/we-spent-n15bn-to-take-care-of-ourselves-during-covid-19-nddc-tells-senate

Chai... Inside Life. Issoryt

Reasonably okay.

That is on condition that it was expended as explained.

I hope I get to audit NDDC very soon. That commission is full of shit. From one management to the other, the commission keeps digging deep into a cesspool of corruption.

Fajoe2020:
Chai... Inside Life. Issoryt

Stop crying over everything.

Iyai yoo




oboy hmn this guy really learn handwork from lai mohammed

Only 1.5 billion

see them, hopeless fools, see bubu building multi billion naira hospital in daura with oil money while some donkeys are busy stealing their own people blind while blaming abokies for their underdeveloping their marshland s. idiots.

See How Our Money Is Spent

Lol

Awon eleriibu

Oh lord, how did I end up in the same country with these type of species. Buhari abeg sell Nigeria and give us our share



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Abeg who get Nigeria self?? Some people will just be chopping free money everyday

I just the pass... Wake me up when this hit front page

Chai! Nigeria is cursed beyond redemption.Greedy and wicked criminals everywhere in any strata of leadership.
NNPC or NDDC should be disbanded or scrap.

Southerners keep cheating and embezzling money meant to develop south...
And we southerners kip shouting when northerners stole money which is meant for der people forgetting those northern elders av something to show der people while our own so called elders are stealing the money all for themselves alone .

Na wẹ southerners mumu pass

Am sorry it's over for Nigeria. Integrity is dead in Nigeria, i don't see the reason why some people ll be living on the detriment of the society. Truly, their is Corona virus but the figure speculated is over exaggerated so that they can be cashing out on false figure. Some people have made it in life over this corona virus manipulated figures. I don't think another lock down is necessary because this virus has come to stay and we can continue to lock down for the rest of our life. Everybody should take proper care of themselves to avoid the virus. We are where we are due to lack of integrity and corruption and i don't think we are getting out of it soon.

If the northerners steal oil money, you'd expect the southern leaders who have seen the rot and poverty in the Niger delta to do things differently. Unfortunately, the reverse is the case.This commission was established for THEIR own upkeep, yet they've done nothing.All those huge allocations are simply siphoned. We have ICPC, EFCC, other anti- corruption bodies, different auditors, yet they don't bite. No single bit of accountability in our system. Only God will airpus in this country.

Jesus!!!

NDDC don start to dey spend for covid—19 since October 2019.


Shey e come mean sey NDDC don discover coronavirus before everybody con see am for Wuhan, China ni?

GOFRONT:
Only 1.5 billion

Just N1.5b

TO TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES

And they did not buy truck loads of food stuff for the poverty stricken communities in the Niger Delta as palliative.
What's really cannot explain the anger sometimes.
No wonder akpabio wanted an interim management committee

I am not surprised

.

Ah! Money dey this country oooo!

The acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Kemebradikumo Pondei, has admitted that the commission spent N1.5 billion for staff as ‘COVID-19 relief funds’.

Ehn

Who cares what you spent Awon oloriburuku..

I'm waiting for either Peter Obi or Raji Fashola coming out to contest for presidency, lemme campaign for them.

Never will I ever vote for any northern old fool