THE Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Kemebradikumo Pondei, has called for a holistic investigation into the award of contracts that were not executed at the NDDC.
He made the call in a petition to the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.
In the petition dated July 29, 2020, the Acting MD said that the NDDC awarded contracts to certain companies, in 2017, for the production of desks and chairs for primary and secondary schools in the Niger Delta region, but that the projects were never executed.
He said instead of supplying the chairs and desks to the commission’s warehouse in Port Harcourt or to any of the NDDC offices in the nine Niger Delta states, the contractors supplied them to a warehouse described as Akuede Akwis, Benin Expressway, Okpanam before Wichetech.
The petition, titled, “Forwarding of documents in respect of on-going investigation”, said, “Please refer to the on-going investigation on the Niger Delta Development Commission.
“The commission has already forwarded some documents to you in assisting with your investigations. In addition to the documents given to your team, I hereby forward the attached documents to you. In or about 2017, the commission awarded contracts to certain companies for the production of desks and chairs for primary and secondary schools in the Niger Delta Region. The list of the companies is attached.
“The contracts were awarded in furtherance of the commission’s education sector mandate as learning condition in the Niger Delta region. Instead of supplying the chairs and desks to the commission’s warehouse in Port Harcourt or to any of the NDDC offices in the nine Niger Delta states, the contractors supplied them to a warehouse described as Akuede Akwis, Benin Expressway, Okpanam before Wichetech.
“The warehouse is located in Delta State and has no relationship with the commission. Waybills evidencing delivery of the desks and chairs at the said warehouse are hereby attached.
“Despite having been fully paid for the contracts, the contractors and the owner of the warehouse have refused to release the chairs and desks to the commission.”
“The resultant effect is that the commission and the Niger Delta region have been deprived of the use of the desks and chairs and neither have the contractors refunded the monies paid on the items to the commission.
“It is on the strength of the foregoing that the NDDC invites you to take a look at the fact culminating in this petition.”
