New Transparency Tool by Federal Watchdog Exposes Agency’s Deep Rot, Calling it a ‘Symbol of Mismanagement’ After Decades of Secret Spending.
A powerful anti-corruption organisation in Nigeria has delivered a scathing report on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), confirming that the agency, meant to develop the region, is riddled with deep rot and financial malpractice.
The Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CeFTPI) launched its new digital system, the Transparency and Corruption Risk Assessment (TACRA), with the NDDC as its first target. The findings are alarming: the NDDC was given a corruption risk score of 77 out of 100, marking it as a low-ranking and highly problematic public institution.
The report’s summary is simple and hard-hitting: the NDDC has become a “symbol of mismanagement and corruption” instead of the region’s driver of progress.
The Major Findings That Affect You
For years, the people of the Niger Delta have seen projects stall and funds disappear. This new, authoritative report provides the evidence for this failure:
- Massive Project Failure: An analysis of the commission’s work over two decades reveals that approximately 60 per cent of NDDC projects remain incomplete or totally abandoned, particularly in key states like Bayelsa, Rivers, and Delta.
- 13,000 Ghost Projects: A separate forensic audit cited in the report uncovered over 13,000 abandoned or undocumented projects that were awarded between 2019 and 2021 alone. Many of these contracts were given out without proper, competitive bidding.
- Hiding the Books: The NDDC consistently refuses to publish detailed budgets and financial statements for the public to scrutinise. This secrecy directly violates the law and is described as shielding potential theft and mismanagement from public view.
- Ignoring the Public: The agency has a history of ignoring requests under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, making it impossible for citizens and journalists to know how the huge funds allocated to the region are being spent.
- AI Flagged Contracts: CeFTPI’s modern, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven analysis of the procurement records classified most of the NDDC’s contracts as “high risk” for fraud.
Urgent Call for Reform
To fix the NDDC and restore trust, CeFTPI has issued strong recommendations to the Federal Government.
The Centre insists the NDDC must be compelled to immediately publish all its financial records on a public website. They also called for an urgent audit of all abandoned projects, the use of a transparent e-procurement system to stop contract fraud, and the prompt prosecution of all officials and contractors found guilty of stealing or diverting the region’s funds.
The report warns policymakers: “Failure to act risks further entrenching corruption and depriving the region of its rightful progress.”
