A member of the newly inaugurated 3-man Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) committee, Cairo Ojougboh has revealed how a sitting Senator singlehandedly got 300 contracts and executed none of them.
Cairo Ojougboh, the acting Executive Director of Projects made this known at a Press briefing which held in Abuja. He disclosed that 120 of the 300 contracts were fully paid for but “this Senator” is yet to begin work on any of them.
Recall The Herald in its publication reported that President Muhammadu Buhari ordered a forensic audit of the operations of the NDDC from 2001 to 2019.
Ojougboh who refused to disclose the name of the Senator said the Ongoing forensic audit would uncover how the Commission accrued a N3 trillion debt which could not be accounted for, because some workers are currently being owed 15 years salary.
Also, he mentioned how the unnamed Senator has been frustrating the efforts of the Interim Committee in order to stop the probe.
“Somebody who is particularly interested in a major contract of the NDDC, who is a member of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he alone has 300 jobs in the NDDC. Of the 300 contracts, 120 has been fully paid and he has not mobilized to site for these 120,” Ojougboh said.
“It is obvious that the reason he is behaving the way he is behaving is that he wants the system, the looting in the NDDC to continue, and this is what the Interim Management Committee will not support. It is as simple as that.
“The NDDC Interim Payment Certificates that are pending are worth over N3 trillion. That is what the NDDC owes these phantom contractors. It is these phantom contractors that are preaching and making noise to stop the probe. All they want is for the stealing to continue.
“Therefore, when given the opportunity that we have just been given, our job is to make sure that we avail the auditors all the necessary documents and information, all the necessary help they need because we are not protecting any interest but to help the auditors do their job as it is required.”
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In addition, Ojougboh disclosed how some workers were still being owed 15 years salary.
“All they want is to bring puppets to manage the forensic audit because they know that the members of the IMC will not compromise. If you look at the records at the NDDC, you will cry,” he said.
“Some genuine people that have done jobs for the board have not been paid for over 15 years and their families are suffering. Many of those who were paid are these phantom contractors.