Save Niger Delta Communities, CSO Writes Buhari
The Act For Positive Transformation Initiative, APTI, a civil Society organisation has alleged that there was no truth in the excuse by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, that Niger Delta students on foreign scholarship were not paid their allowances because of the death of the organization’s Acting Director, Finance and Administration, EDFA, Ibanga Etang.
In a letter to the President, made available to newsmen in Abuja on Monday, APTI insisted that Etang died over a month before the demonstration of the foreign students, saying the death of the NDDC EDFA as a reason for non payment of the allowances was not tenable.
“The NDDC in a statement on 4th August had revealed that the delay in the remittance of the fees for these scholars was caused by the sudden death of the then Acting Executive Director for Finance and Administration, EDFA, of the commission, Chief Ibanga Etang.
“The late EDFA died on May 28th, 2020, by July 28th 2020, exactly two months after, the management has squandered a total of 24.26 Billion Naira. The commission has continued to make all manner of fraudulent payments without prioritizing the demand of the foreign scholars or recourse to due process,” the CSO said.
The letter signed by the Head, Directorate of Research, Strategy and Programme, APTI, Kolawole Johnson, also claimed that “the NDDC management under the guise of emergency payment paid out over 3.5 Billion Naira. With name of account, date and amount to back up the claim”.
Johnson leveled allegations of corruption against the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the Interim Management of the NDDC, saying that the roads the minister invited President Muhammadu Buhari to commission was completed by past administrations of the NDDC.
“The 29km road the supervising minister invited the President to commission was long completed by past managements of NDDC before Godswill Akpabio resumed office as minister.”
The Act for Positive Transformation Initiative, APTI, therefore, called on the President to save the Niger Delta people and the nation from further embarrassments by cleaning up the Niger Delta.
