- ES APPROVES N503 MILLION FOR WORKSHOP IN LONDON, N400 MILLION FOR END-OF-YEAR PARTY
The Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity, a non-governmental organisation has asked the ICPC to investigate corrupt practices and misapplication of funds amounting to the tune of N9.9 billion at the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), including the Executive Secretary of the board, Engr Felix Omatsola Ogbe.
The petition which has been received by the ICPC alleged that the NCDMB under the leadership of Engr Ogbe “violated procurement laws, and regulations established under the Nigerian Content Development Board Act, and the Public Procurement Act”
In the said petition, titled “Request for investigation of the NCDMB), the NGO claimed it submitted the petition in collaboration with concerned civic groups, adding that the ES “approved the sum of 503 million naira for a workshop in London and disbursed N400 million for an end of year party”
“Specifically, the sum of 9.9 billion naira (approximately 6.6 million USD) was authorized for consultancy services without following the appropriate legal and financial processes”
It also irked the NGO, which promotes good governance by strengthening systems and mechanisms that enhance transparency and accountability that the funds were disbursed through the Central Bank of Nigeria to a consultant “with no clear documentation or evidence that the consultant had met the criteria for receiving such a large financial outlay”
Our correspondent observed that the petition was signed by the Executive Director of the NGO, Umar Yakubu, PhD and copied minister of state for Heineken Lokpobiri.
In the petition, the NGO noted that the action of the ES are serious infractions that call to question “the need to assess the implications for fiscal responsibility, transparency, and accountability”
By
