Controversy trails multi-million naira worth of rice from NDDC to Cross River
By Our Admin
The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC is reported to have a budget annually for the purchase and distribution of Rice to the less privileged as well as stakeholders in Cross River State.
The 2021 budget reportedly had N35million budgeted by the Commission but the approved supplier of the rice informed the coordinator approved for the distribution of the rice in the State, Hon. Orok Otu Duke that N10million is the amount that has been released to him.
Duke as he puts it, suggested that supply worth the N10million be made and it was so done.
He went ahead and started the distribution to various groups, namely Women groups, Youth groups, Political Party Stakeholders among many others but only within the Southern Senatorial District.
He also made a public announcement that what he received was rice worth N10million, but that he knows, N35million was budgeted. And he was officially approved to handle the distribution in Cross River State with the assistance of the Hon. Cletus Obun.
“When I took delivery of the N10million naira worth of rice I had to start distribution hoping that balance of the supply will be given,” Duke said.
He disclosed that an official of the NDDC who is an indigene of the state, (names withheld) frowned at the public announcement of the worth of rice received.
He said the NDDC senior officials, was then compelled to send an explanation to Hon. Cletus Obun, claiming that actually, N30 million was released, not N35million but he spent about N6million on the bank and other sundry charges leaving him with N26million. From the N26million, N10million was given to the rice supplier, and the remaining N16million, he planned that the N7million each will be used to purchase rice that would be shared with stakeholders in the Central and Northern senatorial district of the state.
According to Hon. Duke, the Minister for Niger Delta, Chief Godswill Akpabio is not happy over the controversy and the fact that the official instruction was not followed.
The official instruction was that Hon. Orok Duke is to oversee the distribution of the Rice in Cross River State, to be assisted by Hon. Cletus Obun.
Duke added that to the best of his knowledge, similar provisions have been in place for many years in the NDDC budget but no one knew about it until last year when he distributed the supply for the year 2020 and this year that he is distributing the supply for the year 2021.