Some stakeholders in the Niger Delta region on Friday warned the current management of the Niger Delta Development Commission, which has been on acting capacity, to steer clear of the forthcoming forensic audit of the interventionist agency.

They (stakeholders) were of the views that it was needless to allow those who were part of the rot in the commission to be part of the forensic audit that was ordered byp resident Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday directed that the financial transactions of the NDDC, including the award of contracts, should be probed based on the persistent complaints from members of the public.

One of the stakeholders, who is the President of Niger Delta People’s Confederation, Mr Osaro Iyamu, said his group had concluded plans to shut down the NDDC should President Muhammadu Buhari fail to inaugurate the new board and allow it to supervise the proposed forensic audit.

Iyamu said, “For almost six weeks since the new board was appointed by Mr. President, we expected that Mr. President will persuade the Senate to confirm them so that the new board of the NDDC can be inaugurated.

“A lacuna that exists in the NDDC. So, we are calling on Mr President to direct the Senate to confirm the new board so that they can be inaugurated and to also supervise the forensic audit on the commission.

“If you allow the interim management of the NDDC to supervise that forensic auditing, you will not get the needed result, owing to the fact that these are the same people that have been alleged to be part of the corruption in the agency. They have been there for the past 20 years since the NDDC was created.

“Mr President should be aware of our position; we are planning to shut down the system so that the interim management will not preside over the forensic audit. So, if Mr President fails to do the needful, we will shut down the NDDC.”

Similarly, a leader in Ondo, one of the oil producing states, Mr Asonja Idowu, told Saturday PUNCH that the Dr Pius Odubu-led new board should be urgently cleared by the Senate and inaugurated by the President in order to pave the way for a new and people-oriented service for Niger Delta.

Idowu argued that the current management would not be able to do a good job in supervising the forensic audit, maintaining that “no one should be allowed to be a judge in a matter there are involved in.”

In his remarks, an Ogoni leader, Mr Kammy Ngelale, said, “The present acting leadership of the NDDC comprises of people who have been in the system for as long as the creation of the commission. I sincerely agree that NDDC needs to be audited, but you cannot keep those who are seen to be part of this rot in charge.”

Another leader from Niger Delta, Chief Atuyota Ejughemre, listed one of the contracts that must probed as the N2.3bn road project that was awarded in 2009.