The Niger Delta Development Commission has handed over additional working tools to the lead consultants and 16 field forensic auditors involved in the audit of the Commission to facilitate the ongoing forensic exercise.
The NDDC Acting Managing Director, Prof. Kemebradikumo Pondei, while handing over the additional tools, including 10 Hilux vehicles and five buses, to the auditors at the new permanent headquarters of the Commission in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, stressed that the forensic audit was not meant to witch-hunt any individual or group.
The NDDC Chief Executive Officer was joined in the ceremony by other members of the Interim Management Committee, namely: Acting Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Effiong Akwa; Acting Executive Director Projects, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh; and Evangelist Caroline Nagbo.
Pondei stated: “The forensic audit was set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to look into the activities of NDDC from inception, 20 years ago, to August 2019. It is on that note that the lead forensic consultant was appointed and 16 field forensic auditors procured to handle the process.
“We are here to hand over more tools to the auditors to assist them in the ongoing forensic audit of the commission.
“We hope that at the end of the day, the forensic audit will unravel a lot of things that have gone wrong in the Commission. It is not a witch-hunting process, but just for us to truly know the state of things and recommend a way forward and make sure that the Commission delivers on its core mandate.”
In his remarks, Akwa stated that the exercise, which was designed to ensure proper accountability and transparency, would advance the cause of the Niger Delta region.
He thanked President Buhari and the Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, for their roles in setting up the forensic audit, noting that it would take the Niger Delta region a step further in terms of development.
The Managing Partner of the lead consultants, Olumuyiwa Basiru & Co, Mr Joshua Bashiru, said the audit was in fulfillment of the directive of the President, noting that the 16 audit firms would be probing the finances, contracts and projects and programmes executed by the NDDC since 2000.
Also speaking, the Principal Consultant, Alhaji Kabiru Ahmed, said the audit exercise was a turning point in the quest to find out what had gone wrong in the Commission since its inception.
Ahmed said: “Today signifies another important milestone to unraveling what has happened in this organisation in the last 20 years.”
Ahmed explained that the auditors were at the NDDC to introduce the field forensic auditors involved in the process and update the management on the progress of the forensic exercise so far.
“We will meet with NDDC State Directors and Departmental Directors to enable the auditors to understand how the various units work,” he said.
Ahmed assured that the auditing firms would carry out a transparent audit towards interrogating all the financial activities of the NDDC.
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