The Federal Government of Nigeria says it has directed the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to revoke unexecuted contracts awarded between 2000 and 2019.
Director of Corporate Affairs, NDDC, Ibitoye Abosede, said in a statement issued on Sunday in Port Harcourt. According to him, the cancellation followed recommendations of the recently-concluded forensic audit report by the NDDC.
“This is to bring to the notice of all contractors engaged by the NDDC as well as stakeholders and the general public, the implementation of the forensic audit report,” she said.
“The Presidency has directed that all contracts awarded by the NDDC from 2000 to December 31, 2019, for which the beneficiary contractors are yet to mobilise to the sites, are cancelled.
“Consequently, all affected contractors are advised to note that all monies earlier received by way of mobilisation for any of the projects are to be promptly refunded
“The contractors are to refund the monies to the commission’s account with the Central Bank of Nigeria.’’
Abosede said that the cancellation was subject to any future re-award in accordance with the Public Procurement Act and in line with the terms of the contracts for the projects.
Earlier in February, some contractors, who identified themselves as members of the Niger Delta Indigenous Contractors Association, alleged that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) owed them over N2 trillion. This, among many others, has ravaged the effective delivery of the commission.
The contractors had earlier picketed the headquarters of the NDDC in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, over the alleged outstanding debt.
Several reports have suggested that there are a group of people who have formed a “cartel” running the affairs of the commission secretly.
In 2019, the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, during an interim inauguration of a NDDC committee in Abuja said “the mandate of the committee is to help create an “enabling environment” for the forensic audit of the NDDC.”
Akpabio said the corruption and political interference have disrupted the original purpose of setting up the NDDC.
“I think people were treating the place as an ATM, where you just walk in there to go and pluck money and go away, I don’t think they were looking at it as an interventionist agency,” said Mr Akpabio, a former governor of Akwa Ibom State.