N6bn palliative fraud: Senate gives NDDC last chance to appear

The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions has issued a last-minute summons to the management of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) over the allegation that it squandered N6.25billion on phantom COVID-19 palliatives.

The panel asked the management of the commission to unfailingly appear before it on 22nd of this month for explanations on the alleged scandalous palliatives.

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The Commission had, under the recently sacked Professor Daniel Pondei-led Interim Management Committee (IMC), claimed to have spent N6.25billion on COVID-19 palliatives last year across the nine oil-producing states.

But the Chairman of the agency’s COVID-19 Palliative Distribution Committee, Ambassador Sobomabo Jackrich, said no money was spent for such purpose by the then IMC of the Commission.

In a petition he wrote to the Senate Committee on Public Petitions, Jackrich said: “As Chairman of the COVID-19 Palliatives Distribution Committee of the NDDC, I testify that N6.25billion approved by Mr President for palliatives for the entire Niger Delta region through the NDDC cannot be accounted for and is allegedly embezzled by the then Prof Daniel Pondei-led IMC.

“My committee was totally sidelined and the IMC hijacked the process because of their secret plots just because I, as the Chairman, demanded transparency in the entire process.”

Though the leadership of the NDDC was not at the committee’s sitting on Thursday to answer to the petition, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Ayo Akinyelure, said there will be no escape route for the agency’s management on the alleged fraud.

“This is the third time the leadership of the commission failed to honour invitation on the alleged N6.25billion COVID-19 palliatives scam.

“But unfortunately for them, as a committee of the Senate, we shall thoroughly investigate it whether they like it or not, since petition on the fraud even came from a ranking officer from the commission.

“Even as a Senator from one of the affected States, I along with 26 others, did not see any palliative distributed by NDDC last year.

“Since the government is a continuum, the new management of the commission must appear before the committee unfailingly on the 22nd of this month,” the lawmaker said.

He added that submission of the new management on the alleged scam will determine the fate of the disbanded Pondei-led IMC, alleged to have squandered the money.