Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, says the final report of the forensic audit of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) will be ready in July.

Mr Akpabio added that he would submit the final report to President Muhammadu Buhari for implementation.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) had in February 2020 approved the appointment of a lead consultant for the forensic audit.

The minister explained, “We have fast-tracked the process of constituting the board. But we insist that the most important thing is not just the development of the Niger Delta region but how to reposition NDDC to ensure optimal performance as against the practice in the past.”

He stated that the NDDC audit “is on course, and it is progressing very well and I am happy with the progress made so far.”

Mr Akpabio further said, “I am very certain that, by the end of July, which is just a month and a few weeks away, the final result will be given to the president for implementation.”

The minister said he regretted that, in the past, the NDDC’s headquarters was not connected to the national grid for 10 years to 15 years.

“And we have noticed the fact that even the headquarters building that was started over 20 years to 24 years ago, nobody was interested.

“I think they were pursuing projects that were probably beneficial to either the staff or the management and not necessarily things that benefited the region.’’

(NAN)