The Civil Society Coalition on Audit in Nigeria (CSCAN) has raised concerns and called for an urgent investigation into the mismanagement of N90.9 billion allocated for 176 development projects under the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The Coalition reports that these funds remain unaccounted for, raising questions about the commission’s transparency and efficiency.
This amount is part of the more than N500 billion that was given to the NDDC for regional development over a ten-year period (2008-2018) as a first-line charge. The Coalition claims that numerous initiatives were either not carried out at all, were inadequately carried out, or were abandoned in spite of these allocations.
CSCAN called on the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committees and anti-corruption organisations, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), to look into these contracts immediately in order to recoup public funds.
The Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative (PLSI)/Value for Money Executive Director, Olusegun Elemo, said during a press briefing in Abuja that site visits, data analysis, and physical assessments exposed the inefficient use of resources intended for Niger Delta residents.
“We have identified the companies and individuals involved, visited numerous project sites, and collected photographic evidence. We only request that the National Assembly and anti-corruption organisations thoroughly examine this evidence and retrieve the money,” Elemo said.
The Coalition also intends to formally interact with these organisations to give the matter top priority and guarantee responsibility.
Oluwaseun Afolabi, a data analyst who represented Civic Hive, contributed vital information to the inquiry. Afolabi emphasised how important the data analysis was in identifying the disparities.
“Our work involved analyzing audit reports, matching project allocations with actual implementations, and validating community reports with official records. This has exposed glaring gaps in accountability. Citizens must demand transparency to ensure public funds serve their intended purpose.”
Shocking results were found by CSCAN, which included groups including Civic Hive, Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative (PLSI), Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Dataphyte, Step Up Nigeria, Accountability Lab, and others.
A few projects were reported for receiving two payments.
A lot of them were badly executed or abandoned in the middle.
Infrastructure for education, safe drinking water, and high-quality healthcare are still lacking in many communities.
The Coalition pointed out that despite receiving international development grants, an annual statutory allocation, and an oil company fee, the NDDC has not fulfilled its 15-year master plan for the development of the region.
The necessity for reform through a contemporary audit statute was emphasised by Friday Odeh, the Country Director of Accountability Lab. In 2019, President Buhari ordered a forensic audit, which Odeh criticised for being delayed and urged citizens to demand accountability.
According to him, instead of letting Niger Delta leaders “off their mic,” people ought to raise their voices and demand the return of unaccounted-for money. To restore government for the Niger Delta’s citizens, anti-corruption organisations must take strong action free from political meddling.
The results of CSCAN make clear how urgently institutional reforms, accountability, and transparency in public money management are needed. The Coalition reaffirmed its pledge to provide evidence-based support to anti-corruption organisations to preserve justice and reclaim funds that have been misappropriated.
