LEADERSHIP.NG

The Senate has invited officials of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) over an alleged N100 billion contract scandal.

The Senate, through its appropriation committee, said special periodic checks of the activities of the NDDC from 1st January 2013 to 30th June, 2018, showed infractions in the contracts worth billions of naira.

During a meeting on the activities of the NDDC, the committee chairman, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, said the panel has invited the NDDC officials to appear at the National Assembly on Wednesday.

He said the committee will personalise any refund that is traceable to any individual during the Investigative hearing.

Urhoghide said it was painful that over N100 billion was spent on contracts in NDDC without justification.

Urhoghide said, “ We have invited NDDC to come, they don’t have records of financial transactions. They will appear before us on Wednesday.

“They have 47 queries and we are going to look at the issues from 1 to 47 and we are going to personalise any refund.

“It is painful that N100 billion was spent without justification. We equally invited them for status enquiry on all revenue into their accounts.

“We are waiting for the NDDC, if they don’t come, we will take necessary action against them,” he said.

Some of the queries to the NDDC read: “ It was observed that so many contractors were paid mobilisation fees to enable them to commence the execution of the projects awarded to them. Contrary to the terms and agreements some of the contractors bolted away after the collection of the mobilisation fees. The surprising aspect of it was that this practice involved 626 contractors in which the sum of N61.4 billion was lost to fraudulent practices.

“ Irregularities in the execution of contract awarded to SETRACO Nigeria Ltd for the construction of Gbaregolor- Gbekbot -Ogulagha road phase worth N16.1 billion.”