The Nigerian Senate has recommended the dissolution of the management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
![[UPDATED] Senate Wants NDDC Management Dissolved](https://odunews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Nigerian-Senate.png "[UPDATED] Senate Wants NDDC Management Dissolved")
The NDDC is presently being led by the Interim Management Committee floated by President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a detailed report which was submitted to the Senate plenary on Thursday by the Chairman, Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi, it was revealed that the NDDC spent N1.334 trillion in five years.
He said the IMC was involved in reckless spending where they spent based on “cash accounting”, and not based on the “budget”.
According to him, the mode of “running the accounting system” by the IMC was an aberration to the act establishing the agency.
He said the IMC spent a whooping sum of N81.5 billion in three months, lamenting that the money was not spent on development-oriented infrastructure in line with the mandate of the NDDC.
The report also recommended that the NDDC be returned to the presidency for supervision with the setting of supervisory board by governors of the nine Niger Delta States.
A resolution was reached by the upper chamber based on the recommendations of the Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi-led committee.
During his presentation, Adetunmbi said: “In conclusion, the Committee noted that it is difficult to find a correlation between Niger Delta community development and cash invested in the zone.
“Continued cash injection in the Niger Delta challenge issue has not worked under the various IMCs.
“It may be useful at this juncture for the Government to intervene by stepping down the EIMC (Executive Interim Management Committee), thereby helping them leave the stage for a properly constituted board with specific mandate to address the pains of the Niger Delta people.”
“The Committee said that the IMC should be made to refund extra-budgetary expenditure of N4.923billion payment to staff and contractors in breach of the procurement process and approvals. Monies to be refunded by the IMC include cost for overseas travel to the United Kingdom in the sum of N85.7million, Scholarships Grants – N105.5million, Union Members trip to Italy – N164.2million, Lassa Fever Kit – N1.96billon, Public Communication – N1.2billion and COVID-19 Relief -N1.49billon.”
