Alleged mismanagement: Panic As Reps Probe Oil Spill Clean-Up Funds In Niger Delta

Reps

The House of Representatives yesterday commenced investigation into the alleged mismanagement of funds meant for oil spill clean-up projects in the Niger Delta, vowing to expose irregularities and ensure accountability in the use of public resources.

Speaking at the opening of a public hearing held on Thursday at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, the Chairman of the Ad-Hoc Committee on the Mismanagement of Oil Spill Clean-Up Funds, Okpolupm Etteh, said the exercise was a critical step towards restoring transparency and justice for affected communities, particularly in Ogoniland. He explained that the committee would thoroughly examine how the clean-up funds were managed from allocation to execution to determine whether they were used in line with the objectives of the projects.

The probe, he said, would focus on verifying whether disbursements were made as officially reported and whether the payments were supported by valid contracts, invoices, and certified evidence of work done.

According to him, the committee would also scrutinise the procurement and payment processes to establish whether they complied with relevant laws and best practices.

In addition, the Committee would assess monitoring reports and laboratory tests to verify if the claimed remediation outcomes in the impacted communities were genuine and scientifically validated.

Earlier, Speaker of the House of the Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen who was represented by the Chief Whip, Usman Bello Kumo, charged the committee to be fair and just to all the parties involved in the investigative hearing. Daily Trust