Security has been beefed up both outside and inside the National Assembly Complex as protesters clash over the ongoing probe of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NCDC).
Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio and the Professor Kemebradikumo Pondei-led Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)’s Interim Management Committee (IMC) have on Monday appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta over alleged corruption.
Read Also: Breaking: Akpabio Appears Before Reps Panel Probing NDDC
Some of the protesters were at the complex to show supports for Akpabio, creating a very rowdy atmosphere as a result.
While the group supporting the National Assembly probe is Emerging Leaders Forum of Nigeria, and the group backing the NDDC and Akpabio against the probe is Niger Delta Development Initiative.
Security operatives had to separate the two groups before the faceoff degenerated further.
Akpabio and Pondei were issued with summons at the last sitting of the committee on Friday.
Immediate past NDDC Managing Director, Joy Nunieh, appeared before the committee on Friday where she levelled allegations of arbitrary breach of laid down rules in awards of contracts.
Read Also: Breaking: Ex-NDDC Acting MD, Joy Nunieh Finally Testifies Before Reps Panel
The committee had, last Wednesday, interrogated officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Auditor-General of the Federation.
The committee’s chairman, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who has now stepped down, said the documents submitted by both the CBN and the Auditor-General of the Federation showed that the total amount spent by the NDDC from January to May 2020 was N81.5 billion.
He revealed the commission claimed to have spent N1.3bn on community relations, N122.9m on condolences, N83m on consultancy and N3.14bn on COVID-19, N486m Duty Travel Allowance, N790.9m as imprest, N1.956bn on Lassa Fever, N900m on Legal Service.
Also, N220m was spent on maintenance, N85.6m on foreign travels, N1.121bn on public projects communication and N744m on security, N8.8bn on staffing-related payment.
Tunji-Ojo said the NDDC also spent N248m on stakeholders’ engagement from February 18 to May 31, 2020.
The Auditor-General, Anthony Ayine and the representative of the Accountant-General, Sabo Mohammed, confirmed the N81.5bn transactions being investigated.
