There was melodrama today, during interrogation by the House of Representatives Committee on NDDC, when the acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Daniel Pondei, slumped while answering questions posed by lawmakers and was promptly rushed to the hospital.
Pondei had appeared before the lawmakers who are probing the finances of the NDDC. Alawmaker, Shehu Koko, had asked Pondei to explain the N642 million paid to a company known as Clear Point Communication. The lawmaker also asked the NDDC chief to explain the N536 million paid to Save Life Campaign in the oil-rich region and to prove that they were all budgeted for in the 2019 Appropriation Act.
Pondei told the lawmakers that N642 million was paid to Clear Point Communication to train locals and to help locate and identify NDDC projects in the area. He, however, could not confirm that the payments were budgeted for, asking the lawmakers to give him time to provide the budget. In the process, he collapsed, sweating profusely and was rushed out of the venue of the hearing.
The hearing was then adjourned for 30 minutes. When the hearing resumed, Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila and Majority Leader Alhassan Doguwa joined the committee members to continue with the sitting. This development might further prolonge the probe which was earlier scheduled for two days but is in the fourth day already.
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