Categories: Politics

Palliative Fraud: Arrest Order On NDDC Management Stands, Senate Declares

Senate

Nigerian Senate has said that there is no going back on its warrant of arrest issued against the management of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), saying their move was in line with the legislative process of making public servants to account for their actions.
The Chairman disclosed that the NDDC management following the arrest order, had reached out to the Committee and promised to appear in the next meeting.

The Nigerian Senate has said that there is no going back on its warrant of arrest issued against the management of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), saying their move was in line with the legislative process of making public servants to account for their actions.

The Chairman, House Committee on Ethics, Priviledges and Public Petitions, who also is the Senator representing Ondo north senatorial district, Ayo Akinyelure state this while speaking to the press in Abuja, following the reported denial of ‘arrest warrant’ by the Senate Committee Chairman on NDDC, Senator Peter Nwoboshi.

Senate

The Committee Chairman said Senator Nwoboshi might have been misquoted, insisting that his Committee’s warrant of arrest stands.

According to him: “May be the Chairman, Senate Committee on NDDC was quoted out of context.

“As far as we are concerned in the Senate Committee on Ethics Priviledges, and Public Petitions, in our last meeting, we issued a warrant of arrest and it still stands.

“We ruled that a warrant of arrest be issued to bring in the management of NDDC to explain how palliative of N6.25 billion during COVID-19 pandemic was paid.

We had earlier issued three invitation letters to bring in the management of NDDC before the Committee, they never responded. And the penalty contemplated before the last meeting was that, if by the last meeting, they didn’t respond, the warrant of arrest be issued and that is what we did.

“At that time, there were a lot of problems in NDDC.

“The management Committee was dissolved by Mr. President, but having now a Sole Administrator who was one of the management Committee, they should come.”

The Chairman disclosed that the NDDC management following the arrest order, had reached out to the Committee and promised to appear in the next meeting.

“The Sole Administrator of NDDC, Effiong Akwa has already sent a delegation to the Committee that in the next meeting, he’s going to appear. The next meeting is yet to be fixed.

“They have been given instructions by the Committee that all necessary defense they have concerning N6.25 billion fund, they should get ready and we gave them three weeks so that they can prepare necessary defense for them to come and explain,” he added.