President Muhammadu Buhari has extended the tenure of the Interim Management Committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, for another seven months.
The President has also approved six billion Naira COVID-19 intervention expenditure by the NDDC.
These are contained in a statement by the President’s spokesman, Femi Adesina, on Thursday.
According to him, the extension is to run from May 1 till December 31, 2020, to allow for the forensic audit of the Commission as earlier directed by the President.
The Interim Management Committee is headed by Professor Keme Pondei, who assumed the position following the sack of the Acting Managing Director, Joi Nunieh.
The statement also disclosed that President Buhari has approved that the NDDC provide intervention support to complement efforts of the Federal and State Governments to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the nine Niger Delta states.
The expenditure sum approved by the President is six billion two hundred and fifty million naira. The materials and supplies are to be done through the emergency procurement method under sections 42 and 43 of the Public Procurement Act 2007.
The NDDC has been enmeshed in a scandal alleging among other things, that its Executive Director of projects approved a 5.5 billion Naira procurement contract for Personal Protective Equipment and other kits to fight the COVID-19 in the Niger Delta states.
The Commission had denied the claim.