- Chief Perekeme Kpodo, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is not happy about the alleged massive corruption in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)
- Chief Kpodo wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari asking him to commence an urgent probe into the allegations against top officials of the NDDC
- He also threatened to mobilise 5,000 protesters to Abuja to draw attention to the issue
A chieftain of All Progressive Congress (APC) in Bayelsa state, Chief Perekeme Kpodo, has sent a protest letter to President Muhammadu Buhari asking the latter to immediately probe the alleged monumental fraud in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Chief Kpodo claimed that despite the huge investments made by the federal government in the NDDC, revelations and allegations made against past and present management board have shown that the commission is now an avenue for quick and illegal money, misapplication of funds and abandoned projects.
Chief Kpodo, a former security adviser to the ex-governor of Bayelsa, said in the state alone over 38 projects were abandoned and over N209 billion diverted into private pockets between 2011 and 2015 under the administration of Dr Goodluck Jonathan.
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He said his transparency group, Bayelsa Indigenes for Good Governance, had, two months ago, staged a protest against alleged diversion of N3 billion water hyacinth project awarded to Barrister George Turner, the godson of Dr Goodluck Jonathan.
“NDDC has become the citadel of fraud with most managing director and members of the board misapply the funds for project to fund political campaigns and governorship ambitions.
“There is no way the commission could achieve its mandate with some of the board members nursing governorship ambition,” he said adding that the place had been allegedly reduced to a fund-raising ground to oil political dreams
“NDDC is a fund raising commission for politicians who want to run for elections. The way NDDC is structured, it will not work.
“There is so much corruption in NDDC because board members are working to amass wealth to contest elections in their various states.
“NDDC reneged on its agreement with the Rivers state government on the mother and child hospital, even after the state government had paid its counterpart fund of N800million, while the NDDC refused to pay any kobo from its N900 million contribution,” Chief Kpodoh said.
He called on the president to increase his administration’s rating on anti-corruption campaign by setting up a special investigative committee to probe the managing director and members of the board before their tenure terminates on December 15.
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“We are ready to move over 5,000 persons to Abuja for a transparency rally to prevail on the president to look into our petition.
“We cannot continue to allow the managing director and the board of the NDDC to use the commission as a conduit pipe to advance political ambition.
“It is time to investigate illegal award of contracts by the commission,” he said.
NAIJ.com earlier reported how Chief Perekeme Richard Kpodoh commended the administration of Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state.
Kpodo who is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said the construction and completion of projects in the health and road infrastructure sectors of the state were worthwhile projects that are saving and transforming lives of Bayelsa people.
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Source: Naija.ng