The Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas (HOSTCOM) has urged the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio to take advantage of the report from ongoing forensic audit to fish out contractors who failed to execute projects awarded to them by Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The Guardian.ng reports that Leaders of these communities, who expressed satisfaction with the ongoing forensic audit, accused contractors of abandoning projects after collecting mobilisation fees form NDDC, maintaining that the final report would definitely bring them back to site.
They spoke, yesterday, at the creeks of the Niger Delta, during the field verification of NDDC projects in the Region by forensic auditors and journalists to capture their activities at various project sites in Rivers and Delta states.
Various project sites visited included; provision of transformers and emergency road repairs in in Obio-Akpor Local Council, in Rivers State, 550 meters shore protection project at Ugborodo community, land reclamation Project at Akpakpa-Ajudiabo community, canalisation of Oporoza and others in Warri South-West Local Council among others.
Community leaders in Ugborodo, Toju Eibietan, said: “We are very happy with this forensic audit. But, we are not happy because NDDC is not pushing this project the way we want it. We are appealing to NDDC to fund contractors to enable them to complete the project. We are afraid erosion could wash away the community…”
Meanwhile, NDDC directors in Rivers and Delta have disclosed the forensic audit to ascertain the agency’s performance from 2001 to 2019 has reached 80 percent completion.
The NDDC State Director, Rivers State, George Ero and his Delta State counterpart, Emmanuel Audu Ohwaborua, confirmed the forensic audit was in line with President Buhari’s directives.