Call on EFCC, ICPC to conduct forensic audit report on management
… threaten full blown strike soon
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Scores of Staff of Niger Delta River Basin Authority, NDRBA on Monday staged a peaceful protest calling for the sack of the Tonye David West led management of the Authority for illegally misappropriating about N500 million approved by the Federal Government for the establishment of a model Songhai farm.
The angry workers also called on anti-graft agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, to conduct forensic audit on the Authority as a matter of urgency.
“We will be forced to take further steps by embarking on strike if our demands are not met urgently. Federal Government through the Ministry of Water Resources had released half a billion naira for the establishment of projects like Songhai farm, Basic Police post and no Basic School and others,” the workers threatened.
When contacted on call for probe by EFCC, the Spokesman for EFCC South-South Zonal office, Dele Oyewale clarified that the Commission acts on well documented petitions, which are treated on their merits before investigations are carried out.
“We don’t act on people calling on us during street protests. They should do what is needful if they are sure of the allegations”, Oyewale explained.
Some of the workers who sang solidarity songs carried placards with various inscriptions like, “EFCC come and probe our management”,”Tonye David West management must go”,”Where’s our Songhai farm”,among others.
No member of management team addressed the workers during the peaceful protest.