Dr. Ahmed Lawan, the Senate President, has established a seven-person ad hoc committee to investigate the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for starting to spend N1.4 trillion without authorization.
According to newsmen, there are rumors that the action is intended to prevent Godwill Akpabio, the former minister of Niger Delta affairs, from becoming the Senate President for the 10th National Assembly.
You may recall that the All Progressives Congress’ National Working Committee (NWC) named Akpabio as its candidate for Senate President on Monday.
During discussion of a report by the Committee on Niger Delta on the NDDC’s 2021, 2022, and 2023 budgets, Senator Adamu Aliero (PDP, Kebbi) proposed a motion to investigate the actions of the NDDC in what appears to be an effort to thwart Akpabio’s desire.
Earlier this year, President Muhammadu Buhari requested that the Senate pass the NDDC budgets for 2021, 2022, and 2023.
It was discovered that the request for clearance came after the interventionist organization had spent the N1.4 trillion allocated for the 2021 and 2022 fiscal years.
However, the president added that a total budget of N485.7 billion was recommended for the NDDC in 2021, N928.2 billion in 2022, and N876 billion in 2023 in the proposal sent to the assembly.
After scaling second reading, the Senate submitted the budgets to its Niger Delta committee.
The Niger Delta committee, led by Senator Bulus Amos (APC, Gombe), delivered its report to the Senate on Tuesday and asked them to pass the budget estimates.
However, Aliero voiced reservations over the budget together with senators Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa) and Solomon Adeola (APC, Lagos), claiming that it was against the law for NDDC to use budget estimates without getting permission from the National Assembly.
Adeola argued that the NDDC’s 2023 budget predictions needed to be properly examined immediately since certain data on the budget needed to be clarified and more information provided.
Thus, the panel to investigate the gency’s financial book was established by Senate President Ahmad Lawan.
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He claimed that the purpose of the ad hoc committee was to look at the spending patterns of NDDC for the years 2021 and 2022.
In one week, the committee, which is headed by Senator Yusuf A. Yusuf (APC, Taraba), will present its findings to the full body. Seriake Dickson, Uche Ekwunife, Abdullahi Yahaya, Saidu Alkali, Adetunmbi Olubumi, and Sadiq Sulaiman are additional committee members.