At a joint news conference in Abuja, PATAI Executive Chairman Francis Bassey and AITA President Aminu Majidadi gave the NEDC until March 15 to respond to the allegations. Bassey said the core allegations included corruption, financial misappropriation, and abuse of office, claiming that the budgetary allocation to the commission was paid in full for uncompleted or abandoned projects.
Bassey listed the abandoned projects, which included the construction of a central workshop in Maiduguri, the structure of Birma Primary School at Kashimbila in Taraba, the Madagali and Pinlla primary school projects in Adamawa, equipment supply at the Eye Clinic Centre in Azare, and the construction of the ICT training centre, College of Legal and Islamic Studies, Misau, all in Bauchi state.
He also mentioned the mass housing project in Dadin Kowa, Gombe, 200 mass housing units in Nguru, and a 300 mass housing project in Damaturu, both in Yobe. Bassey claimed there were abandoned projects in the Jalingo, Sardauna, Zing, and Ussa council areas of Taraba, among others.
The two groups have sent three reminders to the commission dated January 18 and 31, as well as February 14, 2023, and have yet to respond, according to Bassey.
He said the two groups conducted a thorough investigation of the claims in the petitions and are awaiting the response of the NEDC.
Their concern is ensuring accountability in handling public funds so that it would benefit Nigerians. Bassey explained, “It is on the account of promoting transparency and accountability by holding those in authority accountable that we gave the commission a chance to respond to issues of grave allegations raised against them.”
However, NEDC Spokesman Abba Musa denied the allegations, describing them as baseless. He said, “You and I know that in this regime, it is not possible that you will mismanage over N146 billion, and nothing will happen. The process itself will not make it possible. So, it is not true.”
Musa added, “All I know is that I have met with them, and I told them I was travelling, and if I come back, I will still see them. But if they decided to go the way of the media, there is nothing anyone can do now. We will wait until we are officially invited.”
The NEDC was created in 2019 to coordinate the Northeast region's development, which has been plagued by insecurity and underdevelopment. The Federal Government has allocated billions of naira to conduct development projects in the area.