BIKUME CHARLES
The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has said that it would on Thursday hand over contract files to Olumuyiwa Basiru & Co, the lead consultants in the ongoing forensic auditing of the Commission.
The interventionist agency said the handover event, to take place at its permanent head office in the Marine Base area of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, would signal another phase in the forensic exercise which is to cover the Commission’s activities from 2001 to 2019.
A statement made available on Wednesday night signed by Charles Obi-Olisa Odili, Director, Corporate Affairs, added that Olumuyiwa Basiru & Co. would be taking over all original contract files relating to projects and programmes awarded by the NDDC between 2001 and 2019, as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The takeover of the contract files by the Forensic Auditors will mark the commencement of the next stage of the exercise which started with the handover of contract documents covering projects captured during the verification exercise in April 2020”, it added.
NDDC said it was important to emphasize that the forensic audit was being carried out in phases and that this phase was to kick-off the Field Forensic Audit. “To ensure the success of this exercise, we are making available all required documents needed by the field auditors to enable them discharge their duties efficiently and effectively”, the Commission criticised for doing little to develop the Niger Delta region despite receiving billions of Naira in its 19 years of existence, explained.
It also said, “The NDDC management will meet with the forensic auditors to formally release the files which have been sorted in 16 lots as segmented for the forensic exercise.
“We wish to inform the public that all contract files are no longer in the office of the Acting Executive Director Projects, as they are now in the custody of the auditors.
