FEC approves N745m to hire auditors for NDDC

• Approves purchase of 52 operational ‘Black Maria’ vehicles for prisons

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved N745 million for the hiring of additional forensic field auditors for the audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) even as it has approved purchase of 52 operational ‘Black Maria’ vehicles for prisons.

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, also disclosed that the council approved the hiring of auditors to ensure that whatever comes out of the forensic audit is acceptable not just in Nigeria but to the international community.

Akpabio said: “The memo that was presented by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs was a concluding memo on the procurement of Field Forensic Auditors for the forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission and today the council approved additional forensic field auditors at a total sum of about N745.2 million.

“This brings the total number of field forensic auditors to 16 in addition to the earlier approved Lead Forensic Auditors, Messrs Olumiluwa Bashir and Co.

“These people are now going to be in charge of the nine states of the Niger Delta which has been divided into 16 lots. As I stated earlier, lots one is Ernst and Young for the headquarters.

“They will be undertaking the 19 years of audit and also bring out the organigram for the restructuring of the NDDC for better performance in future.’’

The minister added that the council equally approved the need to attach investigative security agencies to each of the team to ensure transparency in the exercise.

Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, disclosed this to newsmen after the FEC meeting.

He said: “We considered in the Council the award of contract for the procurement of 52 number operational Black Maria vehicles.”

According to him, the new vehicles will help aid effective operation in the Correctional Service as well as ease of movement of awaiting trial inmates from the Custodial centres, 247 of them in all to about 5,022 courts in Nigeria.

“This is to complement what we have already acquired between 2016 and 2019 of about 451 Operational Green Maria vehicles.

“The objective is to ensure that the delay associated with trial of inmates is reduced if not eliminated.”