More than N250 billion meant for the NDDC’s intervention in the development of the Niger Delta may have been left unspent by the Joi Nunieh led management.
The Telegraph which has been on the trail of the developing story since Nunieh was shoved aside learnt through some impeccable sources working within the accounts section that Nunieh left billions of naira in the coffers of the NDDC.
According to some insiders, the sum of more than N250 billion is part of monies conserved by the former Ag. Managing Director who was under pressure by some highly placed persons to pay certain contractors before she was relieved of her appointment on Wednesday.
Sources within the Commission say the former helmswoman had insisted on verifying jobs done before authorizing payment.
“There were times we discovered that monies were paid for jobs that were never delivered”, a staff hinted this publication.
“This forced the Nunieh led management to insist on the verification of jobs before releasing payments”, the source stressed.
It is apparent that Joi Nunieh ran into a stone wall over her resolve in following due process in order not to run foul of the forensic audit that is currently ongoing.
The Telegraph has stumbled on startling information which suggests most of the companies used in cornering high profile jobs at the NDDC were not registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission as required by law.
Until the forensic audit ordered by President Mohammadu Buhari came on stream, no less than 500 firms which allegedly secured mouth-watering contracts running into billions of naira were unregistered.
But an insider who swore to know how the Commission works declared in a chat with this publication, “unregistered companies doing business with the NDDC are up to 1000. You can verify this.”
At the Corporate Affairs, the Telegraph learnt through a staff of the Commission in Port Harcourt who spoke under conditions of anonymity that moves are being made to regularise the papers of some of the unregistered companies.
The scheme to kick out Nunieh was seemingly piloted by Senator Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.
The Minister may not have been comfortable with the closeness between the Nuniehs and members of the first family.
In a bid to discredit her, a rights group alleged Nunieh did not have a proper discharge certificate from the NYSC. The law holds that an accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty. In this circumstance, who bears the burden of proof? Is it the one accused of committing an offence or the one who alleges?
Under the guise of expanding the size of the Interim Management Committee, from what we have learnt, Akpabio and his allies in and outside the Presidency outflanked the Esther of Ogoniland.
It is doubtful, some say, that the President knew of the move to remove Nunieh when he was allegedly briefed on the plan to expand the size the IMC. That would remain a matter of great conjecture for a long time to come.