TheCable

Ita Enang, senior special assistant to the president on Niger Delta affairs, says the federal government will soon release a white paper on the report of the forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

President Muhammadu Buhari had, in 2019, ordered a forensic audit of the NDDC’s operations from 2001 to 2019.

In September 2021, Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation,  received the NDDC forensic audit report on behalf of the president.

On December 30, 2021, Buhari said his administration will recover “every kobo” mismanaged or looted from the commission, adding that culprits will face the wrath of the law.

Speaking on the development on Monday in an interview on Channels Television, Enang said a white paper on the forensic audit report will show the recommendations which are accepted or rejected by the federal government.

The presidential aide said it will amount to prejudice if he gives details of the audit prior to the release of the white paper.

“Yes, I’m confident. Nigerians are all confident because Mr President does and means whatever he says,” he said.

“A lot of people have asked ‘when are these people going to be brought to book?’ We want to say that the recommendations of the forensic auditors are still being examined and when a report is submitted to the government, the government will have its committee or appropriate officer or office examine the recommendations of that committee, in the case of the forensic audit report, and then to prepare white paper.

“It is the white paper showing what the executive has accepted and what it has rejected that will draw attention to whoever is culpable to what extent and what needs to be done, if there is anything to be recovered or otherwise.

“Right now, we cannot speak definitively on who to recover from or what to recover because until the white paper is out showing the recommendations that have been accepted, it will be a prejudging issue.

“And the Holy Bible has said that even God in all His wisdom did not pass judgement on Adam until he had called upon him to make a defence.

“And that defence they have made, that is what is being examined now and the white paper will come out with appropriate recommendations that have been accepted; that will be when the rest will be done.”

Asked when the white paper will be released, he said it will be “very soon”, adding that the issue is of “utmost importance” to the president.

“I want to say that very soon you will hear because this matter is of utmost importance to Mr president because a few of the actions which ought to be taken from different directions depend on the outcome of this. We are conscious about it and we will be expeditious about all that is pending to be done,” he said.