The Senate has set up an ad hoc committee to investigate alleged unauthorised spending of about N1.3trillion by Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) on its 2021 and 2022 budget estimates.
The NDDC Budget revealed that N485.7billion was spent in 2021, and N928.2billion in 2022.
This is even as it also rejected consideration of the report of the Commission’s N485.7 billion 2023 budget estimates.
The decision followed the adoption of a motion presented by the Senator representing Kebbi Central District, Adamu Aliero, at the plenary.
The former Kebbi State Governor had in his presentation alleged unauthorised spending by the Niger Delta interventionist agency on its 2021 – 2023 budget estimates.
He spoke after the former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta, Senator Amos Bulus, presented reports on the NDDC’s three-year budget estimates.
Aliero insisted that the NDDC breached provisions of the constitution by spending funds not approved by the National Assembly.
In his remark, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said: “We are faced with a situation where expenditure was done probably for more than six months or probably 80% of the expenditure has been done and we need to know what has happened.”
The Senate, thereafter, stood down consideration of the NDDC’s 2023 budget for further information and clarification on the figures contained in the budget.
Afterward, an ad-hoc committee headed by Senator Yusuf Yusuf, was set up to investigate the financial activities of NDDC in the 2021 and 2022 budget estimates and report back in one week.
Other members of the committee are senators Seriake Dickson, Uche Ekwunife, Abdullahi Yahaya, Saidu Alkali, Adetunbi Olubumi, and Sadik Sulaiman.
We are faced with a situation where expenditure was done probably for more than six months or probably 80% of the expenditure has been done and we need to know what has happened.