SERAP has sent an open letter to President @MBuhari urging him to use his leadership position to urgently set up a presidential investigative panel to probe grave corruption allegations in @NDDCOnline...
..including allegations that the agency illegally spent N81.5 billion, on travels, ‘condolences’, consultancy and ‘public communication between January and July 2020
We also asked @MBuhari to immediately suspend Mr Godswill Akpabio, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and all those implicated in the allegations pending the outcome of any such investigation
Witnesses and whistle-blowers must be protected and the findings of the investigation should be made public. Where there is relevant admissible evidence, suspected perpetrators should be handed over to appropriate anti-corruption agencies for prosecution
These are extremely serious allegations. Nigerians expect that those who run @NDDCOnline should be free of corruption, and should enjoy no impunity.
Nigerians who want to see development and prosperity in the Niger Delta will want president @MBuhari to take the lead to get to the bottom of these allegations and take appropriate and decisive action to address them
A special panel to probe allegations of corruption in @NDDCOnline & that is able to work closely with anti-corruption agencies would protect the integrity of the forensic audit, remove the possibility of obstruction of justice,...
...and interference in the process by those suspected to be involved in alleged corruption in @NDDCOnline.
The investigation by @nassnigeria has been controversial, and has reportedly turned into a ‘dirty fight’ between @NDDCOnline and @nassnigeria . Similarly, the hearings have reportedly indicted lawmakers of both the Senate and House of Representatives
Any perception of politicisation and bias in the investigation of the corruption allegations in @NDDCOnline would undermine public trust in the process, and ultimately, the public interest and good government, as well as justice for the victims of corruption in the Niger Delta
We are concerned that allegations of systemic and widespread corruption in @NDDCOnline are not only punishable offences but also directly undermine the human rights of Nigerians, especially the people of the Niger Delta.
President @MBuhari's govt has expressed the commitment to ‘get to the root of the problem undermining the @NDDCOnline.’ However, the most effective way to ‘get to the root’ of the corruption problem in the agency, and to ensure and protect the integrity of a forensic audit is ...
...to establish a special panel to carry out credible, independent, impartial and effective investigations into the alleged corruption in @NDDCOnline
A decisive action is needed by president @MBuhari and his government to stop the corruption in @NDDCOnline, ensure that anyone suspected to be responsible is brought to justice, and to fully recover stolen, mismanaged or misappropriated public funds
Ensuring an independent, impartial, transparent and effective investigation into the corruption allegations in the NDDC would be entirely consistent with the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as amended), the NDDC Act, and Nigeria’s international obligations,...
... including under the UN Convention against Corruption to which the country is a state party.
Section 15 subsection (5) of the Constitution requires your government to abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power, including corruption allegations in the NDDC.
Similarly, the UN Convention against Corruption requires your government to ensure effective investigation and prosecution of allegations of corruption
Specifically, article 26 of the convention requires @MBuhari government to ensure ‘effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions’ including criminal and non-criminal sanctions, in cases of grand corruption.
Article 26 complements the more general requirement of article 30, paragraph 1, that sanctions must take into account the gravity of the corruption allegations
President @MBuhari government should send a strong message of intolerance for grave corruption in the NDDC, and show that you are willing and able to enforce important constitutional, statutory and international principles and obligations.
We also urge @MBuhari to instruct the police authorities and security agencies to immediately end the harassment and intimidation of Ms Joy Nunieh, former Acting Managing Director of NDDC, or any other witnesses and whistle-blowers.
Suspected perpetrators will escape justice if witnesses and whistle-blowers are intimidated, harassed or threatened.
Effective investigation and prosecution will not be achieved if such crucial participants in the investigation are not sufficiently protected to perform their roles unimpeded.
Stopping the harassment and intimidation would also ensure that innocent people are not wrongfully punished and that suspected perpetrators would not subvert the course of justice and escape sanctions
We request that president @MBuhari takes the recommended action within 14 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter, failing which we will institute legal proceedings to compel his government to act in the public interest
These allegations & apparent attempts to weaken the independence, work and freedom of action of @officialEFCC including alleged deliberate targeting of some directors of the agency have undermined the public's confidence in the govt’s oft-repeated commitment to fight corruption
According to reports, @cenbank & the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation have indicted the NDDC of illegally spending 81.5 billion between January and July 2020.
Further, the Bureau of Public Procurement has also reportedly stated that it did not issue ‘Certificates of No Objection’ to the NDDC for the procurement made by the commission with the money
The breakdown of the N81.5 billion reportedly include: community relations, N1.3bn; condolences, N122.9m; consultancy, N83m; COVID-19, N3.14bn;duty tour allowances, N486m; imprest, N790.9m;Lassa fever, N1.956bn; Legal services, N900m; maintenance, N220m; & oversea travels, N85.6m
Others are: project public communication, N1.121bn; security, N744m; staffing related payments, N8.8bn; and stakeholders’ engagement (Feb 18 – May 31, 2020), N248m. A senator also allegedly used 11 companies as fronts to secure for himself N3.6 billion contract in September 2016
The current managing director of @NDDCOnline also reportedly said that the commission spent N1.5 billion for staff as ‘COVID-19 relief funds’
