President Buhari had on October 2019 ordered the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio to carry out a forensic audit in the commission between 2001 and 2019 alleging that the number of projects executed by the commission were far below it’s homongous budgetary allocations.
Political analysts and other media commentators had alledged that such directive was a deliberate attempt to bring down some top Akwa Ibom sons who had worked in various managerial capacities in the commission.
But, Enang in a media chat on Friday at his Uyo residence said the forensic audit was just to ascertain the value for money sunk into some projects by the NDDC.
According to him, “It is not correct to say that the President, the honourable minister for Niger Delta affairs even myself are after Akwa Ibom sons who had occupied some positions in the NDDC.
“The forensic audit was meant to find value of money for projects and not targeted at individuals. To find out if there were projects awarded but not commenced or completed and how much is remaining to complete it. It was intended to mount pressure on the contractors to complete their projects maintaining the specified standard.
“It is not directed at anyone, that is why you don’t see any of the previous leaders being harassed or questioned in any means. That is why we are not having Judicial Commission of Enquiry and we placed an advert asking for professional auditors to tender. All that Mr. President wanted to do was to find value for money expended so far. ”
Dr. Enang urged Akwa Ibom state government and other PDP fanatics not to politicize every issue but to look beyond party lines and bring down the dividends of democracy for the good of Akwa Ibom people.
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On the controversy surrounding the siting of Nuclear plant in Oku Ibom in Itu Local council of the state, Enang said the federal government was on the stage of Environmental Impact Assessment noting that the peoples’ reaction would inform the action of the federal government in executing the project.
It would be recalled that the federal government through the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) had proposed to site a Nuclear Energy Plant in Oku Ibom as an alternative source of energy in the country.
According to government, the decision to locate the plant in Akwa Ibom is because of the state’s geographical location on the coastal region of the country with large volume of water surrounding the state.
But the state government and stakeholders in the area had opposed the initiative citing nuclear hazards and accidents witnessed in other countries. They requested for refineries since the state is rich in oil and not siting a nuclear plant.
THISDAY