The House of Representatives has ordered an investigation into allegations of a missing N100 billion from the coffers of the North-East Development Commission (NEDC).
This is coming days after the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was alleged to have mismanaged N81.5 billion.
Ndudi Elumelu, the minority leader of the house moved the motion, alleging that the sum of N100 billion given to the commission by the federal government, had ”vanished”.
NEDC which was established in 2017 to reconstruct states affected by insurgency in the north-east, is headed by Mr Mohammed Goni Alkali.
Elumelu while moving the motion, accused Mohammed Goni Alkali of awarding non-existent contracts.
In his words; “The N100 billion so far disbursed to the commission by the federal government is said to have vanished under a year without any visible impact on the refugees nor any infrastructural development credited to the name of the commission in the whole of the north-east.
”The corrupt practices include high handedness by the managing director, Mohammed Goni Alkali, over inflation of contracts, awards of non-existent contracts, massive contract splitting and flagrant disregard for the procurement laws in the award of contracts.
”There are allegations of how the minister of humanitarian affairs and disaster management, Sadiya Farouk, was said to have entered into an unholy deal with the managing director of the commission to illegally withdraw money for the purchase military vehicles without any recourse to the board.
”The act, which completely disregards the country’s procurement laws, must be seriously frowned at”.
Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, put the motion to a voice vote and later adopted it.
The motion was referred to the House committees on finance, procurement, and NEDC. A report on the probe is expected to be turned in after eight weeks.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK