The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has faulted a report that it paid various sums of money as COVID-19 palliatives to members of the Senate.
NDDC’s acting Executive Director (Projects), Dr Cairo Ojougboh, condemned the claim in a statement on Tuesday.
Ojougboh who clarified the controversy sparked by the claim also denied issuing any statement as purported in the report.
He stressed that there was no way the agency could have made such payments as there was no provision for such in the NDDC’s budget.
While stating that he would have resisted such a payment if it was brought up, the executive director said the Interim Management Committee (IMC) has championed a campaign to cleanse the NDDC of obvious corruption and frivolous payments.
According to him, the IMC has a mandate to restore the agency to its core mandate of facilitating the sustainable development of the Niger Delta region.
Ojougboh, however, urged the Senate and the National Assembly to discountenance the report and assured them of the IMC’s cooperation to strengthen the NDDC and make it worthy to meet its obligations to the region.
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