We don’t pay salary to non-staff NDDC insists, says video claim is hogwash

PORT HARCOURT, Rivers, Nigeria – The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has said it does not pay salaries to non-staff contrary to the rumour being spread around through a viral video.

The NDDC made the rebuttal following an outlandish claim by one ACP Stephen Udeme Brown in a trending online video.

In the 5.41 minutes video clip, a so-called ACP Brown could be heard telling a lady that he gets monthly salary payments from the NDDC as a security detail to the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

He claimed: “My name is there in the voucher. Every month they give me N250, 000 from NDDC as chief detail to Godswill Akpabio.

“We are more than 15 that they are paying. The cousin of Akpabio is taking N500, 000 every month while staying in his house. Every month, they send the money to our different accounts.”

But in a rebuttal, Director Corporate Affairs, NDDC, Mr, Charles Obi Odili  said there is no scintilla of truth in the claims made by the so-called ACP Brown.

“His claims are simply hogwash. The current NDDC management operates strictly in accordance with Federal Government’s financial regulations to deliver on its core mandate of intervening in the development of the Niger Delta”, he said.

 According to him,  under the extant financial regulations of the current Federal Government, such infractions touted by Brown, are simply not possible.

“The NDDC, as a responsible public organization, cannot go outside public service rules in its operations. The current management restates its unalloyed commitment to the prudent management of the commission’s resources and the implementation of robust financial regulations to safeguard public funds in its custody”, he asserted.

 He called on the people of the Niger Delta to disregard  these unfounded allegations against the NDDC and be rest assured that the commission is building a stronger and more responsive organisation.

He explained that the attempt to drag the name of the supervising minister, Senator Godswill Akpabio, into this cacophony of lies is most regrettable