FG urged to probe missing contracts in NDDC’s 2011 budget

Vanguard

21 February 2012

FG urged to probe missing contracts in NDDC’s 2011 budget

PORT HARCOURT— PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has been urged to investigate how some contracts that were awarded in 2010 by Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, suddenly disappeared from the 2011 budget.

Speaking under the aegis of Niger Delta Contractors Association, NDCA, the contractors, said they would not hesitate to march to Abuja on a peaceful protest to register their grievance on the issue with the presidency.

Mr. Anderson Braide, who spoke on behalf of the group, said the group had a sizable percent of jobs that were in the 2010 budget of the Commission, which did not make it in the 2011 budget.

He said: “This development would lead to the abandonment of projects because most of those affected had earlier been mobilised to site. Majority of the projects, which were duly awarded to contractors have either been removed from the next budget or cancelled out-rightly.”

He said there had been allegations that the removal was done by some members of the National Assembly during vetting of the budget, adding that the President should urgently investigate the issue.

Braide, who described the development as strange in the history of the Commission, said contractors were worried about the situation, further alleging moves by some powerful persons to also remove awarded contracts in the 2012 budget.

“Right from the time of Timi Alaibe to Chibuzor Ugwoha, any job that was not executed the previous year, was carried over to the next budgetary year. At no time did any contractor lament the removal of his or her job from the budget,” he said.