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The Minister of Niger Delta, Abubakar Momoh, has disclosed that the forensic report on the expenditure of N81.5 billion by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) between January and July 2020 is currently unaccounted for.
During a Tuesday interview on Channels Television, monitored by the DAILY POST, Momoh revealed his surprise upon discovering the report’s absence. “I expected that when I took office, the report would be at the Ministry. But when I asked the Permanent Secretary, those there said they had not been able to see the report,” he stated.
Momoh assured the public that efforts are underway to locate the report and make its findings available to Nigerians. He emphasized that individuals implicated in the report would face consequences. “We will not relent in finding where the report is and bringing it before the government for implementation. All those found culpable will be punished. It is not possible to take government funds and go scot-free. I can assure you that we will do our best to find the report and prosecute those found culpable.”
He promised that the report would be obtained soon and its contents disclosed to the public.
This development follows the 2020 incident in the National Assembly when the then Minister of Niger Delta, now Senate President Godswill Akpabio, was summoned to account for the N81.5 billion spent by the NDDC in the first half of 2020. During the interrogation, the then-acting Managing Director, Prof. Kemebradikumo Pondei, fainted, and the phrase “honorable minister (Akpabio) off your mic” became widely recognized.
Despite the forensic report being presented to former President Muhammadu Buhari in September 2021, there has been little progress on its implementation or the release of its contents to date.
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