President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday in Abuja ordered a speedy and effective coordination among security and investigating agencies along with the National Assembly into the allegations and counter allegations of corruption rocking the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The president said such coordination had become imperative in view of the administration’s efforts to bring sanity, transparency and accountability to the management of huge resources being allocated to development of the Niger Delta sub-region.
In an apparent reference to the slanging match between the Minister of Niger Delta, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and former acting Managing Director of the NDDC, Ms Joi Nunieh, Presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement, said Buhari, “in his reaction to the unfolding drama, which include attacks and counter attacks between and around persons, institutions, and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)”, promised to get to the root of the matter.
Below is the full statement
NDDC: President Buhari Directs Speedy, Coordinated Investigation
President Muhammadu Buhari has given directives for better coordination among security and investigating agencies with the National Assembly to ensure that the administration’s effort to bring sanity, transparency and accountability to the management of the large amount of resources dedicated to development of the Niger Delta sub-region is not derailed.
In his reaction to the unfolding drama, which include attacks and counter attacks between and around persons, institutions, and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), President Buhari expressed his strong determination to get to the root of the problem undermining the development of the Niger Delta and its peoples in spite of enormous national resources voted year after year for this singular purpose.
According to the directive, auditing firms and investigative agencies working in collaboration with National Assembly Committees to resolve the challenges in the NDDC must initiate actions in a time-bound manner and duly inform the Presidency of the actions being taken.
The President also directed timely sharing of information and knowledge in a way to speedily assist the administration to diagnose what had gone wrong in the past and what needs to be done to make corrections in order to return the NDDC to its original mandate of making life better for people in Niger Delta.
President Buhari said the administration wants to bring about “rapid, even and sustainable development to the region.”
Magu and the Anti-corruption Puzzle
The President gave firm assurance that his administration would put in place a transparent and accountable governance framework, not only in the NDDC but in all other institutions of government.
Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
July 16, 2020
