The Niger Delta Civil Society Organisations has called on the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), as a matter of urgency implement the forensic audit on Niger Delta Development Commission and prosecute defaulters.
The group, which made the call during an enlarged meeting on Tuesday in Asaba, also urged the President to authorise the publication of all the details of the over 13,000 abandoned projects as in the forensic report.
The convener of NDCSO and DG, Delta State Centre for Human Rights & Anti-Corruption Initiative, Jude Onochie, said it had become imperative for the president to order a discrete investigation into the abandoned projects to bring perpetrators to book.
He said, “We, the coalition of Niger Delta Civil Society Organisations, had identified with your anti-corruption policy in which you vowed, when you took over the mantle of leadership of Nigeria on May 29, 2015, to combat corruption.
“In a bid to keep to this vow, you have taken many bold steps which include the inauguration of an audit committee in August 2019 to carry out a forensic audit on the NDDC from its inception to date.
“The committee has submitted its final report of the forensic audit after two years of feverish investigation.
“We have followed with keen interest the drama and events that took place while the committee carried out its assignment and we have vowed that we will not fold our hands and watch the report of the committee swept under the carpet.”
The group urged the Federal Government to carry out a discrete investigation and ensure prosecution of all persons involved in corrupt practices relating to the abandoned projects.
