NTDC crisis: DG, Board Chairman in war of words

In a letter addressed to Runsewe with the title “Notice of your Excesses Total Breach of Law in the Operations of the NTDC,” and dated 13th May 2010, Anya alleged that since the inauguration of the board 13 months ago as at the time of writing the letter, Runsewe by his actions, “committed several acts of indiscipline, abuse of office, utter contempt for due process and gross disrespect for the board of the NTDC.”

According to a copy of the letter made available to Sunday Trust, Runsewe has frustrated attempts by the board to form its statutory quorum by withholding the letters of appointment of persons representing institutional membership even when such letters were duly issued by the former Permanent Secretary, Dr Goke Adegoroye, upon the directive of the former minister, Senator Bello J. Gada.

Among other allegations, Runsewe was accused of not constituting the procurement unit and due process committee of the NTDC contrary to Public Service Regulations, Procurement’s Act, and Federal Government Financial Regulations and has incurred expenditures above his limit, adding that Runsewe has single-handedly built a tourism village in Abuja and organised several international exhibitions in London, Spain, Germany, Dubai etc without any approval from the board.

But in a reply to the allegations, Runsewe said the allegations were “spurious and unsubstantiated,” stressing that the allegations were not the main issue but that Anya had continually made personal and difficult demands.

“The fact is that you have continued to make personal and very difficult demands which cannot be accommodated within the tight finances of the corporation. I quite appreciate that this is the time public officers are trying to recoup ahead of elections. However, public funds are held in trust for the people and I consider it wrong, immoral and unjustifiable to service such bogus personal and parochial interests with public resources,” the letter read in part.