OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, THE SENATE PRESIDENT AND THE SENATE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN ON BUDGET
NDDC ANTI PEOPLES BUDGET: DISSECTING THE SAMUEL OGBUKU 2024 LEAKED BUDGET.
Since the inception of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC was established in 2000 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, its budget has been a closely guarded document, with Nigerians only hearing about the total budgetary sum to be spent, without a breakdown of what projects would be executed with it.
Letters written to the National Assembly as well as the Commission by media houses, civil society organisations and NGOs under the Freedom of Information Act are disregarded. For years, we have had to live with NDDC just awarding contracts and consultancy to anyone, as they deemed fit, while Niger Deltans and Nigerians are kept in the dark.
Today, we dare say that for the first time in the history of Nigeria, we as a people, undersigned below have EXCLUSIVELY gotten hold of the NDDC 2024 proposed budget of N1.9 trillion, which has already been passed by the conniving National Assembly.
Weeks of going through the 2024 budget brought and still brings nothing but tears to our eyes, as we see projects highly inflated, projects already executed as well as non-relevant projects inserted in the budget, to be executed and paid for by the management of Samuel Ogbuku led NDDC.
To this end, we will be holding a World Press Briefing on 14th November, 2024, at the Abuja Continental Hotel, formerly known as Sheraton Hotel in Abuja, to draw the attention to what we perceived as the biggest looting heist in the history of Nigeria by the NDDC management team disguised as 2024 budget.
We will discuss what Samuel Ogbuku needs:
*N32 billion for construction of Ibeju-Lekki-Araromi-Ise-Akudo in Ondo State for? Is Ibeju Lekki in Niger Delta? A google map search easily identifies Araromi-Ise-Akudo as a place in Lagos and not Ondo State.
*N15 billion for Niger Delta Broadband Initiative to develop high speed Internet across the Niger Delta region, Phase 1. What is the business of NDDC with telecom business and internet in Nigeria? Have MTN, GLO, Etisalat, Airtel and even Starlink stopped giving Nigerians and Niger Deltans Internet services, that Samuel Ogbuku is using N15 billion for another one?
*N5 billion for NDDC model ICT centre in Oron town, Akwa-Ibom State with 1500 systems powered by solar?
*N850 million for renewal of enterprise software subscription and maintenance?
*N600 million for purchase and renewal of Microsoft license and Internet subscription?
*N500 million for upgrading and maintenance of NDDC website and support?
*N4 billion for re-enactment and harmonization of the Niger Delta regional development master plan?
*N6 billion for consultancy for review of the Niger Delta regional development master plan?
*N2 billion for stakeholders’ conference on the review of the Niger Delta regional development master plan?
*N17 billion for completion of NDDC Headquarters building, Phase 2?
*N2.5 billion for payment of forensic audit, already completed and submitted by Mr. Godswill Akpabio?
*N1.5 billion to take inventory of youth groups in Niger Delta?
*N50 billion for desilting?
*N30 billion for clearing of water hyacinth?
These and thousands of many of such corruption infested projects inserted in the budget will form part of the media briefing.
The NDDC MD and management team will have to be stepped aside by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu when we are done with this expose to Nigerians, such that it will make more interesting news than that of the fainting of the former Acting MD of NDDC, Mr Kemebradikumo Daniel Pondei. The Pondei saga will just be a child’s play.
It has become pathetic and degrading that Niger Delta has remained the poorest oil producing region in the whole world. It is not that enough fund is not coming from the federation to develop the region, but because of the high level of corruption that is inherent in the Commission, a few individuals are just becoming billionaires at the expense of the region that has remained perpetually poor and the people vulnerable and pauperized. The monies meant for the development of the Niger Delta have continued to take flight to either the Northern or Western parts of the country.
We will not continue to accept this injustice. We will fight this monster with everything in us. If the Commission will not be allowed to serve the purpose for which it was created, then let there be no NDDC again. After we are done with the world press conference in Abuja, we will take the fight internationally to draw the attention of the international community to the chronic and killing corruption in NDDC.
This budget is despicable!
This budget is a crime!
This budget should not fly!
Signed:
- Comrade Prince Kpokpogri, Chairman, Anti-Corruption & Integrity Forum.
- Fejiro Oliver Samson, Chairman, Network Against Corruption and Trafficking
- Honourable Prince Eric Oharisi, Immediate Past Lawmaker, Delta State House of Assembly (2015 – 2023).
