The South-South Governors Forum believes the forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) will place the commission on a better pedestal to drive the transformation which people of the region have been yearning for.
The position was made known after a meeting of the forum yesterday.
A lot of issues have risen from the forensic audit of the NDDC ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari over allegations of corruption and maladministration by the Interim Management Committee (IMC) set up to reposition the Commission.
The governors expressed deep concern over the crisis rocking the commission and said that it was convinced that the audit will put the NDDC on a sound corporate governance footing and reposition it to better deliver on its mandate.
A statement by the Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, said the governors are giving full backing to the ongoing investigation of the commission by the Senate.
“We believe the Senate is operating within the ambits of its oversight functions through the ad hoc committee set up for that purpose. It behoves us to respect the Senate oversight function and allow it to discharge this responsibility in a fair, transparent and equitable manner.
“The South-South Governors are desirous to see an NDDC that is fully alive and responsive to its mandate of accelerating infrastructural development of the Niger Delta region and enhancing the general living conditions of our people. Hence, we will not hesitate to give our unalloyed support to any policy initiative that will make this a reality,” the statement read in part.
The Forum advised parties in the current crisis in the NDDC to refrain from utterances and actions that will breach the peace and security of the region.
It vehemently condemned the attempted abduction of Ms Joi Nunieh, the immediate past Acting Managing Director of the Commission, in the early hours of Thursday, saying it was unwarranted, unnecessary and uncalled for.
“As responsible public servants and leaders in the Niger Delta, we are mindful of the implications her attempted abduction could have on the peace and security of the region, which the current administration has laboured to sustain in the last five years. We do not want that to be truncated as it can have adverse consequences on the national economy. We urge the feuding parties in the NDDC to conduct themselves in a civil, orderly and lawful manner for the good of the region and the progress of the country. Democracy is about the rule of law; we have the courts and the various democratic institutions to deal with any grievances people may have without resorting to underhanded tactics and methods to intimidate and hound others,” the governors advised.
They reiterated their firm position that both the forensic audit and the Senate investigation should continue and be concluded with dispatch so that the NDDC can quickly return to its role of advancing and protecting the developmental aspirations our people.
