NDDC is a Cesspool of Corruption – Ambaowei

Matilda Omonaiye/

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has been described as a cesspool of corruption by the technical assistant to the Bayelsa State governor on NDDC, Engineer Charles Ebieridei Ambaowei.

Ambaowei in an interview said that despite trillions of naira that has been pumped into the commission since its creation, it has failed to make a serious impact in the development in the nine oil-bearing states, though the current leadership of NDDC has commenced announced wanton fraud in the commission in the past 10 years.

The former acting National President of Ijaw National Congress and one time Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure in Bayelsa State said: “I will tell you without mincing words that NDDC is a cesspool of corruption. Without controversy, it has proven to be a behemoth that dishes out corruption.

“Let me quickly inform you that as at May this year, Governor Duoye Diri appointed me Technical Assistant to the Governor on NDDC Matters, because of our work at the moribund NDDC Project Monitoring Committee in the state, set up by the then Governor Seriake Dickson, on which we gave report.

“Do you know that it was our report that made Governor Dickson to galvanise all governors of NDDC states to pay attention to the projects being handled by the commission in the nine states, and that was why the governors unanimously approached Mr. President that NDDC is not actually developing those states? That the records shows huge amount of money has been released to NDDC for project execution but there is nothing in the oil producing states to show for it,” he said.

He also flayed the current forensic audit going on at the commission.

“They said that there is a forensic audit that has been ordered by Pr. President, and just the other day, some people alleged that corruption is ongoing under the Interim Management Committee, and Dr Cairo Ojuogboh, the current Executive Director, Projects, spoke on Arise TV. But when the interviewer, Dr Reuben Abati, asked him to mention the forensic auditors, Ojugbo could not name them. His tongues were tied.

“As far as I know, there is no forensic auditing going one anywhere in NDDC.  By virtue of my current appointment which is to follow up on all NDDC matters as it affects Bayelsa, and by the way, as a state, the issues concerning NDDC projects in Bayelsa, that we have unearthed that these were X number of projects being executed. We are at a loss or quagmire that these projects exist, and asked NDDC to furnish us with the details, do you know that NDDC could not do give us those details? They cannot and they have refused to do so.

“We had expressly written to them and submitted to the NDDC on the basis of the Freedom of Information Act, and submitted to the then Acting Managing Director, Prof.  Joy Nunie, who eventually did minute on it and directed the ED Projects, Dr. Cairo Ojuogboh to release the information to us respecting the number and locations of ongoing and completed NDDC projects in Bayelsa, but that did not happen until Nunie and her team exited.

“So we went with a new letter under this new management of Dr. Kemebradikumo Podei, and Ojuogboh is still in office as the ED, projects, but he has not acted on it and he can never act on it. So, for us, from the picture and the prism we see NDDC, in fact, is fooling all of us and has blind-folded all of us from seeing their internal activities. They have completely built brick walls to frustrate anyone who is inquiring into their activities. They are very opaque,” Ambaowei, who is eyeing the Senate to replace Governor Diri said.

On why he wants to go to the Senate, he said: “I want to go to the Senate to represent Bayelsa Central Senatorial District which became vacant following the election of Senator Diri as governor because I want to give to my people effective representation. I want to put a full stop to docile representation at the National Assembly. I want to go the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria because I’m having sharp sensibility that zeros on the fact that obnoxious laws, statutes, policies and even the Constitution of Nigeria as framed are all against what ought to be a true federal system of government in the country.

“I want to represent Bayelsa Central which comprises three local governments – Southern Ijaw, Yenagoa and Kolopuma Pokuma, while former Governor Dickson wants to represent Bayelsa West which is made up of Sagbama and Ekeremo local governments.”

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