NDDC: Presidency takes over funding of commission's forensic audit- The presidency has stepped into the crisis of the NDDC - The sum of N722.3 million was released for the forensic audit of the commission - The development was disclosed by the minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! The presidency has finally taken over the funding of the forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). This was announced on Wednesday, August 26, by the minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, who informed journalists at the State House that the presidency released the sum of N722.3 million, This Day reports. The fund is in addition to other fiscal proposals for the audit meant to take care of cover about 12,000 projects in the region in the last 19 years. PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet! Read also Minimum wage: FG, labour unions to meet Monday, September 16 It is believed that the presidency made the move following the delay of the National Assembly to approve the NDDC. Akpabio made it known that the delay in the commencement of the audit was caused by lack of budget for the NDDC since 2019, despite the provision of N1.25 billion in the 2019 budget of the commission. He said: “By the time I assumed office in August 2019, we discovered there was no budget for the NDDC for the year 2019 up to that September. So, we submitted two budgets in November to the National Assembly, and it took quite a while until in April. “The budget details were given out to the NDDC in April, to the end of May, less than six weeks. So, there was a provision of N1.25 billion in the budget of 2019 for the forensic audit exercise. So, basically what delayed it was the absence of a budget, not the absence of the will." Read also N10 billion fraud allegation: IGP orders probe of Udom’s appointee Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the management of the NDDC had denied fresh corruption allegations levelled against it, saying they were attempts "to heat up the polity." The commission, in a statement released by its director of corporate affairs Charles Obi Odili, said the purported allegations are a repetition of accusations of alleged financial recklessness in which the NDDC was grilled in July. President Buhari had been urged to sack the agency's interim management committee led by Professor Kemebradikumo Pondei. The Senate called for the IMC dissolution during a plenary on Thursday, July 23, after the probe panel led by Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi said it discovered various financial infractions and reckless spendings in the account of the commission. The upper legislative chamber also recommended that the NDDC should be relocated back to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) for proper supervision. Read also Kogi guber: Huge number of APC aspirants is due to my efforts, says Gov Bello "In conclusion, the Committee noted that it is difficult to find a correlation between Niger Delta community development and cash invested in the zone. "Continued cash injection in the Niger Delta challenge issue has not worked under the various IMCs," the panel said. How Nigerians should fight corruption - civil society group | - on Legit TV Source: Legit.ng - The presidency has stepped into the crisis of the NDDC - The sum of N722.3 million was released for the forensic audit of the commission - The development was disclosed by the minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio PAY ATTENTION: PAY ATTENTION Legit.ng