CSOs investigates alleged N146bn mismanagement by NEDC
Managing Director of the North-East development Commission (NEDC), Mohammed Alkali.
Civil society groups have given a three-day ultimatum to the Managing Director of the North-East development Commission (NEDC), Mohammed Alkali to respond to allegations on mismanagement of over N146bn budgetary allocations or face the nation’s anti-graft agencies.
The ultimatum by the groups; Al-Mushahid Initiative for Transparency and Accountability (AITA), and the People’s Advocacy for Transparency and Accountability (PATAI) begins from Monday, March 13 to Wednesday, March 15 2023.
National president of AITA, Ambassador Aminu Majidadi and the executive chairman of PATAI, Comrade Francis Bassey, gave the ultimatum, during a joint media conference held in Abuja, stating that there were sufficient information to the organisations and the nation’s anti-graft agencies.
According to the groups, petitions were sent twice to the Managing Director with a reminder as follow up requesting for an interactive session with the CEO, on the following dates; January 18, January 31 and February 14 all of which had gone unanswered.
The groups also said community members and groups in the North-East had written them, alleging that projects funded for through the commission had been abandoned without an account for how the funds had been used.
According to the groups some of the allegedly abandoned projects and states include; Construction of Birama Primary school in Kashimbila–Taraba, Supply of equipment to an Ophthmology center in Azare –Bauchi.
Others are; Construction of mass housing units in Dadin-kwowa–Gombe, Construction of Nguru mass housing units, and 300 mass housing units in Damaturu, both in Yobe state among other projects across the North-Eastern states of the country.
The Non-governmental organisation assured the public and Nigerians of their commitment to ensuring that anyone found guilty is prosecuted, while appealing to the MD NEDC, Mohammed Alkali to respond to its petitions to avoid further action from the groups.
Head, Corporate services, NEDC, Abba Musa denied the allegations, describing it as baseless, noting that it was not possible under the current administration that the commission will mismanage over N146 billion and go unnoticed.
Reporting by Emmanuel Ejim; Editing by Muzha Kucha