MDAs Dissolutions: Group warns Tinubu against compromise
From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
A transparency group, the League of Nigerian Democrats (LND) has written to President Bola Tinubu over alleged attempts by some desperate politicians to compromise the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, and Mr. Olufunso Adebiyi, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs as part of plans to exempt their agencies from the list of MDA dissolved recently.
The League of Nigerian Democrats (LND) in the letter dated 20th of June, 2023 signed by its national coordinator, Yomi Adelakun claimed that certain people working for the dissolved agencies are working round the clock to ensure that management teams of dissolved MDAs remained in office despite the President’s directive to hand over to the most qualified Civil Servant/ Director in line with their hierarchy of seniority.
Adelakun however called on Senator Akume, and Mr. Adebiyi to avoid being enmeshed in controversies that would taint Tinubu’s administration.
He disclosed that between January 2023 to 31st March 2023, the NDDC received about N140 billion and allegedly spent it on unverifiable contracts.
“The commission received these funds from the federal government disbursements, ecological funds, and with majority of the funds coming directly into the commission’s TSA account as remittance for percentage payments from crude oil sales by the oil and gas companies, however, since 31st March 2023 to date, the N140 billion has probably doubled close to N300 billion,” he said.
Adelakun said slush funds have been available to agents whose brief is to compromise officials at the SGF office to look the other way.
“We have it on good authority that the dissolved board of the NDDC have already processed about N12 billion for the past year 2022 flood palliatives for payments right now, and they are waiting for these payments to drop. Solar Contracts are urgently being awarded and mobilization payments paid without following BPP due process. Therefore, we urgently call on President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct the Central Bank of Nigeria to immediately freeze all of the NDDC’s TSA accounts to stop this alleged fraud, because our nation cannot continue to borrow billions of dollars only to be stolen by political appointees.”
“The dissolved board members and chief executive officers were all appointed and screened by the National Assembly as members of the same board, and on the same platform constituting the governing board in their respective agencies, therefore the President’s directive is clearly referring to the most qualified Civil Servant/ Director who will automatically become the Chief Executive Officer that will refer matters requiring the attention of their Boards to the President, through the Permanent Secretaries of their respective supervisory ministries and offices.
