Mr. Effiong Akwa, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Interim Administrator, says the forensic audit of the commission has forced some contractors to return to the site.
Akwa made this known on Wednesday at the University of Abuja, when he delivered a lecture titled, “The Role of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in National Development’’.
The lecture was organized by the Department of History and Diplomatic Studies of the university.
Akwa, however, said that funding had remained a major challenge of the commission since its inception, stressing that it had never received full budgetary provision.
“We have a funding deficit. The NDDC as a commission has not received the full budgetary allocation since inception and funding remains a major challenge to date.
“It is a known fact that NDDC is owed in excess of monies by specific fund providers and the current administration is making all efforts to ensure that this is addressed so that contractors can be paid.’’
The interim administrator noted that about 70 percent of people in the region live below the poverty line in spite of contributing 90 percent to Nigeria’s earnings.
He said that there was a need to maintain peace in the area in order to achieve a robust economy in the country.
The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed N’Allah said the commission noted that the NDDC was created as part of a strategy to move the country forward.
“The creation of NDDC was fundamental as a part of the strategy to move Nigeria forward; the body has assisted in addressing development matters in this country,’’ he said.
Dr. Philip Afaha, the Head of the Department of History and Diplomatic Studies, said the idea behind the lecture was to reposition the department of history and to deepen the democracy and development of the country.
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