NDDC N81.5 billion scam: Those manipulating Niger Delta region lives in Abuja – Annkio Briggs

Niger Delta activist, Annkio Briggs has reacted to the ongoing parliamentary investigation into activities of Niger Delta region, where a whopping sum of N81.5 billion was alledgedly embezzled within three months.

In a live interview with TVC news, which was monitored by CAPITAL POST in Abuja on Friday, she explained that the NDDC’s mandate has never been impactful in the last 20 years of the agency’s establishment.

According to her, fraud has been a mess which the people of the region have been living with, noting that those controlling the resources of the NDDC lives in Abuja.

She said: “Well, if you have ever being to the Niger Delta, you will agree with me that we cannot say that there is anything happening in the Niger Delta through the NDDC in the last 20 years, neither there is anything to show for it in the past 20 years.

“The crisis that the NDDC is going through now is a direct result of the systemic failure that was put in place in the course of running the agency starting from the time of its inauguration.

“Systematically, there is a failure of the Niger Delta Development Commission in the lives of Niger Delta people in well over 20 years.

“There is absolutely nothing to show for now. Where we find ourselves as a people in this mess is certainly unbelievable.

“The people who are in front, so to speak, in running the agency, I agree are the Niger Delta people, but we can also not agree that the people who are manipulating the Niger Delta Development Commission live in Niger Delta, they live in Abuja.

“We cannot disagree also that there is failure on the part of the Niger Delta people, that have been appointed to run the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Speaking on the much talked about forensic audit, she stressed that it was not a genuine intention of government to carry out a forensic audit of the agency.

“Well, the forensic audit is something that should have taken place a long time before now. The forensic audit in our opinion in the Niger Delta seems not to be a genuine call.

“Even if it’s a genuine, it would have started. The forensic audit has not started. There is no desire, there is no plan actually to start the forensic audit because when the forensic audit starts; when it start properly and when the right people; the right audit firm come in to carry out an audit, one will not be horrified to see where the problem comes from.

“For instance, if N100 billion hypothetically, is what has been stolen or not; you find that 90-95% is outside of the Niger Delta and it’s about 5-10% is what the Niger Delta people are responsible for and has to answer for.

“So, the question to ask is why the desire really is on the lips of the people in government? They do not want to carry out this audit and that is why you see the drama that is playing out and that has been playing out.

The activist asked President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately disband the Interim Management Committee, to pave way for the probe of NDDC, insisting that the Niger Delta people want to know the true situation of things.

“The IMC that was put together; that was headed by Joi Nunieh and am advocating that they should go. The whole IMC should go. Let the audit take place and let us know what is happening at the NDDC.