By Deborah Hassan
The Senate has directed that the head of the former Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Professor Keme Pondei, alongside its members, Effiong Akwa, Caroline Naagbo and Cairo Ojougbo, should be arrested for failure to explain how N6.2 billion COVID-19 palliatives fund was utilised.
The Senate, acting on a petition by the chairman of the palliatives distribution exercise, High Chief Sobomabo Jackrich, alleging the NDDC management diverted and misappropriated the entire sum of N6.2 billion, had summoned the ex-IMC members but was shunned.
Its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, said on Monday, February 22, 2021, that they refused to appear before the Committee four times to make any presentation on the money which was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2020 to cushion the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Niger Delta region.
One of the IMC members, Akwa, is the present Sole Administrator of the commission, following the dissolution of the IMC.
Chairman of the Committee, Senator Ayo Akinyelure, noted that the allegations of diversion and misappropriation of the palliative money approved for the needy and the poor in the Niger Delta is weighty and one that must be probed.
“High Chief Sobomabo Jackrich wrote against the management of NDDC over the misappropriation and diversion of N6.2bn being NDDC palliative money meant for the poor and indigent people of the Niger Delta during the covid19 pandemic.
“He required that the Senate should look into the matter and among others investigate the IMC of NDDC with a view to making them account for the N6.2bn allegedly misappropriated. On 17 December 2020, Jackrich appeared before the committee and made a presentation. But NDDC did not show up.
“On January 26, 2021, NDDC was invited and it did not show up too. The committee then resolved that they will be invited to attend this public hearing today, failure of which the committee resolved that a warrant of arrest will be issued against the management of the NDDC.
“Today, we expected them to come but they didn’t come. The N6.2bn palliative money is a serious allegation that required the management of the commission to come before the committee of the National Assembly to explain how this money was spent. But they have consistently refused to appear before this committee.
“On that note the committee resolved that a warrant of arrest be issued to bring this management forward to tell all Nigerians and the whole Niger Delta region how N6.2bn palliative money was spent by the interim management committee of NDDC. On this note I rule that the warrant of arrest be issued,” he stated.