Release NDDC Audit Report – Wike Tells Tinubu

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has urged the Federal Government to make public the long-awaited forensic audit report on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), alleging that the report was deliberately withheld to shield certain individuals from prosecution.

Wike made the demand during an appearance on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme aired on Friday, where he openly took shots at his predecessor, former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi.

Wike, who served as Rivers governor after Amaechi, claimed the NDDC audit report, commissioned in 2021 to examine the commission’s finances and operations from 2001 to 2019, was buried by the previous administration to protect those allegedly involved in fraud and misappropriation.

“Let President Bola Ahmed Tinubu do us a favour and release the report of the forensic audit of the NDDC. Mr President should help Nigerians,” Wike pleaded.

The audit was initially ordered by former President Muhammadu Buhari to uncover years of alleged corruption within the interventionist agency. While the probe was completed and a report submitted, its findings have yet to be released to the public.

Wike, responding to recent criticisms by Amaechi about his source of wealth, dismissed the allegations as bitterness from his predecessor.

“His anger is that he saw me using a Rolls-Royce, and so what? It was not given to me by a contractor. A contractor gave him (a car) and that is a bribe,” Wike alleged.

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He further declared, “I won’t say I was too rich like the Dangotes, but I didn’t have a small background. He (Amaechi) is one of the most corrupt people.”

Wike insisted he had never compromised public office for personal enrichment and challenged Amaechi’s moral standing.

“He took [a gift] from a contractor, but I will not do that,” the minister said pointedly.

Wike didn’t stop at accusations; he put his position on the line, daring the Federal Government to publish the NDDC report. He said if the claims he made are not reflected in the audit document, he would immediately resign as Minister of the FCT.

“Let them release the document. If what I’m saying is not in the document, I will resign as the Minister of FCT. I don’t worship the office,” he declared.

The statement has stirred fresh interest in the report, which many in the Niger Delta have demanded for years as a means of ensuring transparency and accountability in the NDDC.

Wike went further to question Amaechi’s academic credentials, claiming that the former Transport Minister could not graduate from the Rivers State University.

“Amaechi went to Rivers State University, but he couldn’t pass,” he said.

The exchange marks yet another escalation in the long-standing rivalry between the two former governors, who have frequently clashed over political ideologies, leadership style, and personal integrity.

While Amaechi has not officially responded to Wike’s latest claims, political observers say the dust raised may prompt a renewed call for transparency in the operations of the NDDC and other government agencies.

As public attention now turns to the presidency, expectations are growing over whether President Tinubu’s administration will heed the call to release the much-demanded forensic audit report.