The Nigerian House of Representatives is to investigate alleged misappropriation of N100 billion at the North East Development Commission, NEDC.

This followed the adoption of a motion on the need to investigate the alleged misappropriation, sponsored by the House Minority Leader, Mr. Ndudi Elumelu.

Presenting the motion, Mr. Elumelu explained that the NEDC which was set up to ameliorate the sufferings of the people of the region displaced by years of Boko Haram insurgency is alleged to be enmeshed in serious corrupt practices by its management .

Whike expressing concern that the N100 billion so far disbursed to the commission by the federal government since its inauguration in 2019, was said to have vanished under a year without any visible impact on the refugees nor any infrastructural development credited to the name of the commission in the whole of the Northeast.

“The corrupt practices includes high handedness by the managing director Mohammed Goni Alkali, over inflation of contracts, awards of non existent contracts, massive contract splitting and flagrant disregard for the procurement laws in the award of contracts.

“There are allegations of how the Managing Director and his close associates diverted funds meant for the commission to purchasing of choice properties in highbrow neighborhoods of Abuja, Kaduna and maiduguri to the detriment of the suffering refugees and infrastructural development.” Mr. Elumelu stressed

The North-East Development Commission bill was signed into law in October 2017 by President  Muhammadu Buhari to replace other initiatives such as the Presidential Initiative on North East (PINE) and Victims Support Fund (VSF) to coordinate funds accruing from the federation account and donor agencies for the purposes of rehabilitating and resettling of victims of insurgency, reconstruction of homes, infrastructural development and tackling of illiteracy in the Northeastern part of the country.

The Commission’s Board of Management was inaugurated in May 2019 as part efforts to reduce the massive displacement of Nigerian citizens in the Northeast as a result of the activities of Boko Haram insurgents, where houses, schools, mosques, churches, farmlands and businesses were destroyed thereby rendering people homeless and jobless.