Connect with us

Metro

Transparency groups allege massive corruption in NEDC

Published

on

Two transparency groups have threatened to drag the leadership of North East Development Commission (NEDC) to the EFCC and ICPC over alleged mismanagement of N146.19 billion.

The groups, People Advocacy for Transparency and Accountability (PATAI) and Al-Mushaid Initiative for Transparency and Accountability (AITA), gave the NEDC up to March 15, to respond to the allegations.

The Executive Chairman of PATAI, Mr Francis Bassey, and the President of AITA, Amb. Aminu Majidadi, issued the ultimatum during a joint news conference on Thursday in Abuja.

According to them, the commission has refused to respond to the petition earlier sent to it by some patriotic Nigerians.

He added that the two groups have also sent three reminders to the commission dated Janu. 18 and 31, as well as Feb. 14, 2023, without response.

Advertisement

Bassey explained that the core allegations bordered on corruption, financial misappropriation and abuse of office.

He claimed that the N146.19 billion was the budgetary allocation to the commission.

According to him, money has been paid in full for projects not completed or even abandoned.

“The abandoned projects include construction of central workshop in Maiduguri, Borno; construction of Birma Primary School at Kashimbila in Taraba; Madagali and Pinlla primary schools projects in Adamawa.

“Others are supply of equipment at Eye Clinic Centre in Azare; construction of ICT training centre; construction of College of Legal and Islamic Studies, Misau, all in Bauchi state,” he said.

Advertisement

Bassey listed other abandoned projects to include the mass housing project in Dadin Kowa, Gombe State, and 200 mass housing units in Nguru as well as a 300 mass housing project in Damatutru, both in Yobe.

He claimed that there were also abandoned projects in Jalingo, Sadauna, Zing and Ussa Local Government Areas of Taraba, among others.

According to him, the two groups have conducted thorough investigation of the claims in the petitions and awaiting the response of the NEDC.

He said that their concern was to ensure accountability in the handling of public funds so that it would benefit Nigerians.

“It is on the account of promoting transparency and accountability by holding those in authority accountable that we gave the Commission a chance to respond to issues of grave allegations raised against them.

Advertisement

“We also wrote several memos to the Commission to address the issues raised in the petitions against them. It is sad to note that they have not responded positively to our enquiries till date,” he stated.

Reacting to the allegations, the Head, Corporate Services, NEDC, Mr Abba Musa, denied the allegations, describing it as baseless.

“You and I know that in this regime it is not possible that you will mismanage over N146 billion and nothing will happen, the process itself will not make it possible. So, it is not true.

“No matter how, even your conscience will not allow you to do that, but truly speaking there is nothing like that.

“All I know is that I have met with them and I told them I was travelling and if I come back I will still see them.

Advertisement

“But if they decided to go the way of the media there is nothing anyone can do now. We will wait until we are officially invited,” Musa said.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Headline

We’ll sit with herdsmen to explain why cows cannot graze inside Abuja– Wike

Published

on

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, says that the FCT Administration will take a firm decision on open grazing inside the Abuja city centre after consultation with herdsmen.

“Before we take any decision, we will do proper consultation so that nobody will say you never alerted them, you never interacted with them before you took that decision.
We are going to call the cattle people to sit with them. We cannot allow things to go on like this. We didn’t say that there will be no cattle in Abuja, but within the city,” he said. Mr Wike stated this while fielding questions from journalists after inspecting some road projects in Abuja on Saturday.

He said that cows would be allowed to graze in the suburbs but not in the city centre.

On the ban of commercial motorcycles from operating within the city centre, the minister said a firmer decision would be taken after the federal provided buses as alternatives.

“We did not take a firm decision because we have not been able to provide the buses that will be the alternative for the people.
It is within the government’s responsibility to provide the alternative and then ask the motorcycle operators to leave the city centre.
This is so that you don’t ask them to leave, and people will be suffering; no,” he said.

Advertisement

Some of the projects visited are the completion of Roads B6, B12 and Circle Road in Central Area and the rehabilitation of the Federal Secretariat, being handled by Julius Berger.

The minister also inspected the construction of the southern Parkway from Christian Centre (S8/9) to Ring Road 1, being handled by Setraco and the expansion of the outer Southern Expressway being handled by CGC.

The project spanned from Villa Roundabout to OSEX/Ring Road 1 Junction, including four interchanges.

Mr Wike equally inspected the full scope development of Arterial Road N20, from Northern Parkway to ONEX with spurs being handled by Gilmor Engineering.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Headline

Petrol tanker explosion claims 5 lives in Delta – PPRO

Published

on

The Police Command in Delta says five persons lost their lives in a petrol tanker explosion in the state, police sources said.

The spokesman of the command, DSP Bright Edafe, disclosed this to newsmen on Sunday in Warri, saying the incident occurred on 1 October at Ugbenu in Ethiope West Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

He said that the tanker, laden with petrol, was heading towards Benin City in the morning when the unfortunate incident happened.

“In the early hours of Oct. 1, 2023, at about 0200hrs, the Command recorded a tragic incident where a tanker, laden with petroleum product, being driven towards Benin on the Warri – Benin Road fell at Ugbenu Koko Junction.

“Its content spilled into the nearby swamp and the spillage attracted a couple of youths who took advantage of the incident and started scooping fuel into jerry cans and other containers.

Advertisement

“While they were at it, an explosion erupted and the fire from the explosion engulfed the whole area.

“The fire claimed lives of five persons among the youths who had come to scoop fuel,” Edafe said.

He said that several properties, including eight buses of different makes, two tankers, five trailers, two motorcycles, a Sienna space wagon and a ‘C’ Class Mercedes Benz car were also burnt.

Edafe said that the remains of the victims had been deposited at the Oghara General Hospital’s morgue in Ethiope West.

He added that police operatives attached to the Oghara division, in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) at Ethiope West, had mobilised to the scene to ensure the free flow of traffic.

Advertisement

Edafe said that the Commissioner of Police, Delta Command, Mr Wale Abass, had expressed his sympathy with the families that lost their loved ones in the incident.

“It is sad that we never learn from past occurrences, since this is not the first time such incident has happened.

“Nonetheless, I appeal that Nigerians should do away with greed and avoid scenes where there is an occurrence of oil spillages.

“It poses a serious threat to their lives and the lives of others,” Edafe warned.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Facebook

Trending