Drama As NDDC MD, Pondei, ‘faints’ During Reps Committee Interrogation

The acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Company (NDDC), Prof. Kemebradikumo Pondei, ‘fainted’ on Monday during his presentation at the ongoing probe of the commission by the House of Representatives.

Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio and the Professor Kemebradikumo Pondei-led NDDC’s Interim Management Committee (IMC) appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta over alleged corruption.

The committee is investigating an alleged of N82.5 billion irregular expenditure in the NDDC
Akpabio and Pondei were issued with summons at the last sitting of the Olubunmi Tuji-Ojo led committee on Friday.

Immediate past NDDC Managing Director, Joy Nunieh, appeared before the committee via Zoom on Friday where she levelled many allegations of arbitrary breach of laid down rules in awards of contracts.

Nunei had been having a running battle with the former Akwa Ibom State Governor and now the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs over what transpired at NDDC during her tenure.

The committee had, last Wednesday, interrogated officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Auditor-General of the Federation.

The committee’s chairman said the documents submitted by both the CBN and the Auditor-General of the Federation showed that the total amount spent by the NDDC from January to May 2020 was N81.5 billion.
He said the commission claimed to have spent N1.3bn on community relations, N122.9m on condolences, N83m on consultancy and N3.14bn on COVID-19, N486m Duty Travel Allowance, N790.9m as imprest, N1.956bn on Lassa Fever, N900m on Legal Service, N220m on maintenance, N85.6m on foreign travels, N1.121bn on public projects communication, N744m on security, N8.8bn on staffing-related payment.
He said the NDDC also spent N248m on stakeholders’ engagement from February 18 to May 31, 2020.

The Auditor-General, Anthony Ayine and the representative of the Accountant-General, Sabo Mohammed, confirmed the N81.5bn transactions being investigated.

Chair rescues self
The Chairman of House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta Development Company (NDDC), Hon. Olubumi Tunji-Ojo (APC-Ondo), recused himself from the ongoing probe of the commission.

Pondei had accused him of being an interested party in the probe.
Pondei, last week, stormed out of the hearing after accusing Hon. Tunji-Ojo of corruption.
“We in the NDDC are not comfortable with the Chairman of this committee presiding over a matter.
“He is an accused party.
“The NDDC has, over time accused, Rep. Olubumi Tunji-Ojo of different crimes against the NDDC and he has responded in the press.
“He is an interested party and we do not believe that the NDDC can have justice because he cannot seat on his own case.
“We have no issue of appearing.
“We appeared before the Senate ad hoc committee and as long as he remains, we will not make any presentation,” he had said before walking out with his team.

The deputy chairman of the committee is now chairing the hearing.