The Coalition Of Anti-Corruption Civil Society Organisations For Development, COCSOD, has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to investigate allegations of financial misappropriation in the Ministry Of Niger Delta Development.
The Coalition is made up of Center For Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEHUR), Association of Media Practitioners in Oil and Gas producing Areas (AMEPROGAS), Arewa Youth Alliance for Progress and Development, and Network Against Corruption and Trafficking Initiative, NACAT.
They pointed to an avalanche of documents and memos showing details of projects allegedly executed only on paper but paid for with monies meant for the development of the region.
The Coalition said in a statement, “We are forced to say that the essence of the Niger Delta ministry is becoming defeated since it is fast acquiring notoriety as a breeding ground for all corruption related nefarious activities orchestrated its bureaucracy.,” the coalition said in a press briefing in Abuja on Friday addressed by Iteveh Nurudeen, Convener, and 3 others.
“For the purpose of clarity, after our team of lawyers, private investigators, policy analysts and media practitioners painstakingly, analyzed these documents, Irrespective of all the glaring infractions backed by documents, as a coalition guided by the age-long principle of Natural Justice termed ‘audi alteram partem’ which means ‘let the other party be heard as well’’, we wrote a request pursuant to Section 1 (1) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011 and the Whistle Blowing Policy of the Federal Government of Nigeria, 2016, that you, Mr Belgore Shuaib furnish us vis-à-vis the Nigerian public, with Clarifications as to the anomalies enumerated. Up till this press time, this coalition has received zero response from the ministry over these weighty allegations.
The Coalition listed what it described as the countless infractions committed to include:
“Non-execution/ diversion of N30.2 million for medical outreach for staff of the MNDA. Non-execution/ diversion of N21.2 million for skills development seminar in Akoko Edo Local Area, Edo State. Non-execution/ diversion of N19.3 million for skills development in Ilaje Local Area of Ondo State, among others.
This coalition noted that the Ministry of Niger Delta Development and by extension the Minster of Niger Delta Development “has taken on a brazen culture of impunity,” it said.
“Beyond the fictitious memos raised to retire excess funds in the coffers of the office, are even more fraudulent forgery of receipt and certificates forgeries and sundry to cover up the crimes being perpetually committed in your office.
“While our team are still compiling details of other transactions including the N15 billion naira received from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for flood palliative which has been embezzled and shred by critical stakeholders in your office, we dare state that we shall not rest on our oars to dig out all foot prints of corruption in the Niger Delta Ministry.
“As assured in our request that in the event of failure to heed our lawful request, we shall be forwarding these information as a petition to the National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives), Head of Service of the Federation, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).
“Subsequently, we shall be leading peaceful protest to relevant offices after duly notifying all requisite security agencies.
“We call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to consolidate on his renewed thrust for fiscal probity and governance accountability by compelling the all relevant anti-graft agencies to beam its searchlight on the horrendous financial activities.”