N/Delta group commends EFCC for recovery of N83.59bn, $98.07m NDDC levies

N/Delta group commends EFCC for recovery of N83.59bn, $98.07m NDDC leviesThe Niger Delta Development Monitoring Group (NIDDEMOG) has commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for recovering N83.59 billion and $98.07 million owed the NDDC.The funds represent outstanding three per cent statutory levies payable to the NDDC by oil companies operating in the region.NIDDEMOG Executive Director, Chief Nengi James-Eriworio, described the recovery as a welcome development in a statement issued on Friday in Yenagoa.He said oil companies operating in the Niger Delta had failed to meet statutory obligations meant to support development across oil-producing communities.According to an EFCC investigation report, a Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative audit identified N90.046 billion and $229.534 million in outstanding NDDC levies.The outstanding liabilities covered the period between 2015 and 2020, the report indicated.James-Eriworio said it was unacceptable for companies benefiting from the region’s resources to withhold funds meant for its development.He said oil-producing communities continued to suffer environmental and socioeconomic consequences of exploration and production activities.These, he said, included pollution, degradation of farmlands and waterways, and destruction of traditional sources of livelihood.The NIDDEMOG chief also commended the NDDC management, led by Managing Director, Chief Samuel Ogbuku, for pursuing recovery of unremitted statutory funds.He praised the National Assembly for exercising its oversight powers and facilitating the recovery through the EFCC.James-Eriworio urged the NDDC to transparently deploy the recovered funds to projects capable of producing measurable improvements in Niger Delta communities.He called for priority attention to erosion, shoreline degradation, ocean encroachment and other ecological challenges confronting the region.He also urged the commission to strengthen its human capital and infrastructure development programmes across the Niger Delta.According to him, communities must derive tangible benefits from statutory resources provided for their development.James-Eriworio, immediate former Vice-President of the Ijaw National Congress, also urged Niger Delta communities to protect NDDC projects in their areas.He warned against vandalism and theft of public infrastructure, stressing that community ownership was essential to sustaining development projects.“It is despicable to see public infrastructure being vandalised and stolen with reckless abandon in communities across the Niger Delta,” he said.He urged the NDDC to sanction communities where projects and public amenities were deliberately vandalised or stripped of their facilities.