The Minister of Niger Delta, Abubakar Momoh, has lamented that the forensic report on the spending of N81.5 billion appropriated to the Niger Delta Development Commission between January and July 2020 is missing.
According to him, the report cannot be found.
Momoh disclosed this Tuesday during a Channels Television interview monitored by the DAILY POST.
“I expected that when I took over office, the report would be at the Ministry. But when I asked the Permanent Secretary, those there said they had not been able to see the report.”
He, however, assured that the report will be found very soon and made available to Nigerians.
Momoh vowed that those indicted by the report would be punished accordingly.
“We will not relent in finding where the report is and bringing it before the government for implementation. All those found culpable will be punished. It is not possible to take government funds and go scot-free. I can assure you that we will do our best to find the report and prosecute those found culpable.
“In a very short time, the report will be obtained. Once we get it, Nigerians will be aware of its contents,” he said.
Recall that in 2020, drama ensued in the National Assembly when the then Minister of Niger Delta, now Senate President Godswill Akpabio, appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta to account for the N81.5 billion spent by the Niger Delta Development Commission in the first half of 2020.
Recall that the then-acting MD, Prof. Kemebradikumo Pondei, fainted during the interrogation.
Similarly, interrogation led to the phrase “honorable minister (Akpabio) off your mic,” which has since gained popularity in the country.
However, aside from the presentation of the forensic report document to former President Muhammadu Buhari in September 2021, little has been heard about its implementation or the content of the report to date.