May 16, (THEWILL) – The Senate has granted more time to an ad hoc committee it constituted to investigate alleged unauthorised spendings by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The committee, chaired by Yusuf Yusuf (APC, Taraba Central) was constituted at the plenary last Tuesday to investigate transactions allegedly carried out by the NDDC under its 2021 and 2022 budgets without the approval of the Senate.
The Senate had mandated the committee to report back to it within one week.
But, at the resumption of the plenary on Tuesday, the chairman of the committee said none of those in connection with the allegations had been interviewed.
Mr Yusuf pleaded to the lawmakers for a one week extension to enable the committee carry out proper investigation of the allegations.
“We are asking for the indulgence of the Senate to give us one week because we have not interviewed any person at this point in time,” he said.
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, consequently extended the time frame by one week and urged the committee members to ensure they carry out proper investigation on the allegations.
It could be recalled that the embattled Interim Management Committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission reportedly paid N570m to some staff members to undergo training programmes when Nigeria was on total lockdown following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report also added that N171m was paid in cash to 300 drivers to attend a driver training course, scheduled to take place when the nation was on lockdown.
The disclosure was contained in the report of the Senate ad hoc committee set up to unravel the alleged financial recklessness perpetrated by the IMC between October 1999 and May 2020.
Sam Diala is a Bloomberg Certified Financial Journalist with over a decade of experience in reporting Business and Economy. He is Business Editor at THEWILL Newspaper, and believes that work, not wishes, creates wealth.
