Group blasts dissidents of NDDC personnel audit

Ever since the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs headed by Mr Umana Umana based on the directive of the presidency announced a move for the annexation and audit process of NDDC, there have been a series of calls to scuttle the process.

But the group in a statement signed by Dr. John Douglas, Director of Public Relations wondered why people should be apprehensive over the proposed personnel audit and annexation saying that one whose recruitment is legal, lawful and legitimate, should not oppose or fret over the proposal.

The statement said it’s only those who perpetrated or benefited from the faulty and fraudulent staff recruitment exercise that would oppose the audit.

The statement in parts, “no one whose recruitment is legal, lawful and legitimate, will oppose or fret over a Ministerial directive for a personnel audit of the NDDC.

It, therefore, urged the ministry not to succumb to the opposition but should go ahead in the review of “Disproportionate recruitment of staff during the COVID-19 lockdown, irregular promotions and deployment of staff in the NDDC.

Other work plans for the ministry according to the statement include the “implementation of recommendations of the Forensic Audit Report, the constitution of the compilation/publication of a list of all completed projects in the NDDC awaiting payments for public scrutiny; the suspension of all further award of contracts on water hyacinths in the Niger Delta and the constitution of the NDDC board in line with extant law.”