N’Delta group cautions lawmakers against yielding to blackmail in NDDC’s probe

The Niger Delta Rights Advocates (NDRA) has cautioned the National Assembly against succumbing to blackmail in probing illegal spending of N40 billion by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

NDRA Spokesman, Darlington Nwauju, noted that since the news of investigating the Interim Management Committee (IMC) handpicked by Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio broke several publications have been sponsored to blackmail the National Assembly into abandoning the probe.

He argued that the lawmakers were elected to protect the collective interests of Nigerians, just as President Muhammadu Buhari ceded his supervisory powers of the NDDC to Akpabio.

He said it has become necessary to draw the attention of all stakeholders and the Niger Delta people to the fact that the National Assembly was empowered by the constitution to probe decisions of the executive arm of government.

“It is also sacrosanct to note that President Buhari’s order for NDDC’s forensic audit, does not cover January 2020 to date. Moreover, it be made abundantly clear that the National Assembly has powers to debate whatever report the auditing firm will come up with to avoid using the audit exercise as a tool for witch-hunt,” he said.

Nwauju said the NDRA therefore views the preponderance of sponsored media attacks against the lawmakers as unpatriotic, self-serving and an attempt to blackmail the lawmakers into abandoning their legitimate duties in a constitutional democracy.

He maintained that the group stood by the lawmakers’ decision to probe the IMC, even as it believed that if conscientiously and professionally executed, the audit would force the hunter to become the hunted.

Nwauju declared the NDRA would ensure that the NDDC and Akpabio were held accountable, knowing that forensic audit and the National Assembly shall open a can of worms, adding, “That is besides the fact that the current IMC does not represent the interest of the Niger Delta people.

“We in the NDRA earnestly await the forensic audit of the NDDC and pray that no tenure that ever superintended over the commission, shall be craftily exempted from probe or dishonestly covered.

“Specifically, we look forward to the audit of the Bassey Dan-Abia tenure (2013-2015) because he was Akpabio’s nominee during his time as Governor of Akwa Ibom State.”

He stressed that the NDRA was in support of holistic audit of the NDDC and would campaign for the naming and shaming of all those who have denied the region its fair share of economic, human and social development.