Senate backs Buhari’s Call for Forensic Audit of NDDC

By Bimbo Ogunnaike

The National Assembly Joint Committee on Niger Delta Affairs has supported President Muhammadu Buhari’s call for a forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The Senate on Tuesday summoned 17 oil companies over a N72 billion and $273 million debt being owed NDDC.

The Chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, representing Delta North gave the directive during an interactive session with the management of the NDDC, Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) and Union Bank in Abuja.

Speaking on the directives from Buhari, Nwaoboshi said the Committee has also resolved to carry out a comprehensive probe of the intervention agency.

The chairman of the committee, who also disclosed that the Committee discovered that funds meant for the NDDC were wrongly credited to the account of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), added that the Committee has directed the CBN to retrieve the money and credit it to the NDDC’s account.

He said the summon became necessary to know why the companies have allegedly decided to break the law.

“We have invited all oil companies indebted to NDDC to come and tell lawmakers why they will not obey the law of the country. Some of them have confirmed that they are indebted to NDDC,” Nwaoboshi said, disclosing that while the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) was owing to the tune of N54billion as at when the last calculation was done, Allied and Pan Ocean owe $43million and $46million respectively.

He also disclosed that the Federal Government owed NDDC over N1trillion.