President Bola Tinubu has been urged by female Niger Delta leaders of ethnic nationalities to release the findings of the forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission.
The delegation’s leader, Ms. Ann-Kio Briggs, made the request during a Monday interactive discussion in Port Harcourt with Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, the managing director of NDDC.
The women leaders were reportedly chosen from a variety of ethnic organisations, civil society groups, community and faith-based organisations, market women, and non-governmental organisations, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
President Muhammadu Buhari established the forensic audit of the NDDC in 2021 to look into the operation of the interventionist organisation from its founding to August 2019.
But even after the procedure was over, the administration has been mum about when Nigerians will be able to access the forensic report.
Briggs argued that it was unacceptable that the report of a forensic audit of NDDC’s financial operations had taken so long to be released.
She stated, “The forensic audit report of the NDDC has not been published, and the women of the Niger Delta are not happy about this.
“We wish to remind President Bola Tinubu that the report of the forensic audit under the previous government is unacceptably unavailable to the public.
“Also, we can no longer ignore the fact that NDDC is owed huge sums running into billions and trillions of naira,” she said.
According to Briggs, the commission’s capacity to operate at its best has been constrained by the ongoing delay in the money’s disbursement.
While standing with the men in the fight for justice, equity, accountability, and the development of the community, she claimed that women in the area had been severely ignored.
“Suffice to add that the Niger Delta women have not had their rights recognised in appointments, development, political, and economic recognitions in all areas of government and regional building.
“The women have been neglected in the development of the region. We commiserate with the efforts we have put in over the years.
“We, therefore, expect you (Ogbuku) to make the concerns of the women one of your priorities by ensuring that this engagement with us will yield better results,” she added.
The human rights activist commended the managing director for seeking partnerships with International Oil Companies, developmental partners, and other government agencies to address challenges confronting the region.
Speaking, Ogbuku said the commission had concluded plans to initiate projects and programmes that would develop the capacity of women and youth in the region.
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According to him, the commission was currently working on holding a Niger Delta Stakeholders Summit to address many of the challenges faced by the various groups, including women’s bodies.
“We want to give all our leaders, political, traditional, youth, women, and other leaders, the platform and opportunity to discuss what our future should be.
“The women form the core of our development programmes. We have met and spoken with the youths, and now, it is the turn of our mothers.
“Women are critical stakeholders as part of the commission’s programme to engage with all stakeholders in the formulation of NDDC’s overall strategies for the region’s development,” he said.
Ogbuku said the summit would give women the opportunity to discuss their expectations for the future as well as give other stakeholders the chance to contribute ideas for the region’s development.
Similar to this, he said, “stakeholders will take advantage of the chance to exert influence over the 2023 budget, which, once signed, should allow us to agree on the areas of priorities in our existing circumstances.
NAN
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