Niger Delta Development
Commission, NDDC, received about N593.96 billion between 2007 and 2011.
This is contained in the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI’s Fiscal Allocation and Statutory Disbursement, FASD Audit Report covering the period under review.
The independent audit reports also highlighted many abandoned projects scattered across the nine states that make up the NDDC states.
The reports presented by the Chairman of NEITI, Mr. Ledum Mitee, in Abuja, equally disclosed that the NDDC spent about N459.24 billion on recurrent and capital related projects during this period.
He said, “Twenty-two projects were duplicated in the projects schedule with a total contract sum of N1.18 billion, with mobilisation payments of N370.70 million and mobilisation of N93.09 million recovered.
The report, however, revealed “that of the N680.53 billion due to the Commission from the Federal Government between 2007 and 2011, only N216. 90 billion was released leaving a deficit of N463.62 billion.
On allocation to State offices of the NDDC, the report further revealed that there was a general allocation of N7.44 bill ion to the nine state offices of the Commission for the completion of projects.
“It highlighted that most of the projects were neither identifiable nor scheduled for monitoring and proper management. The report observed that the NDDC enabling Act is silent on the issue of how the budgets of the oil producing companies are obtained by the Commission.”
According to the report, NEITI therefore recommended that, “in view of the several cases of project duplication observed by the audit in the operations of NDDC, the Commission should carry out a comprehensive reconciliation and project audit between the headquarters operation and their host states.
It said, “this should be followed by an independent value for money audit on NDDC projects to establish a nexus between the cost of these projects and the value to benefiting communities.
“The NDDC Act 2000 requires the Federal Government of Nigeria to contribute the equivalent of 15% of the total monthly statutory allocations due to the member states of the Commission from the Federation Account; and 50% of monies due to member states of the Commission from the Ecological Funds, the report added.
Flooded portion on Route 7, Federal Housing Estate, Ikot Ansa in Calabar last Tuesday
