PEOPLE FROM OUTSIDE THE NIGER DELTA HAVE TAKEN CONTROL OF NDDC,

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has allegedly been taken over by people outside the Niger Delta, according to His Majesty Etim Abia, the paramount monarch of Akwa Ibom State’s Eket Local Government.

Abia said that while NDDC was established by the Federal Government as an interventionist agency, people from other regions had profited from it more than Niger Delta natives when she spoke exclusively with The Nation in Eket over the weekend.

He criticized the NDDC’s years of poor administration and corruption and requested that the forensic audit report be made public so that Nigerians would be aware of the true figures responsible for the commission’s demise.

The monarch questioned the involvement of individuals from outside the Niger Delta in the NDDC board’s constitution, calling it an anomaly and an injustice to the area.

“Some people have fled with the commission, which is what has occurred to the NDDC. I believe that Nigerians will hang their heads in shame after the publication of the audit of NDDC issues. There would have been evidence of terrible acts. Over the years, NDDC has been improperly handled.

“Why hasn’t the audit been made public? The commission has been well-received by many outside of the Niger Delta. More people outside the region than inside it have benefited.

“Compare it to the recently established Northeast Development Commission. I’m curious as to why the NDDC’s board should include individuals from regions other than the Niger Delta. What is the purpose? I’m not sure, Abia said.

Regarding the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), he said that it had not benefited the Akwa Ibom people since it had been seized by the states of Edo, Delta, Rivers, and Bayelsa.