The Ijaw Publishers’ Forum (IPF), Nigeria’s foremost Ijaw media body, has raised alarm over alleged financial mismanagement by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) under its current Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, particularly in relation to the much-publicized Youth Internship programme, “Project HOPE.”
In a statement released on Monday in Abuja and signed by IPF spokesperson, Comrade Ezekiel Kagbala, the Forum called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately probe the alleged diversion of public funds through the said programme.
According to Kagbala, while the Commission claims that 10,000 young people from the region are receiving a monthly stipend of N50,000 under Project HOPE, there is no traceable evidence of these beneficiaries, especially in the core oil-producing rural and riverine areas.
“The so-called beneficiaries are nowhere to be found,” the statement noted. “We challenge Dr. Ogbuku to publicly disclose the names of the youths, their bank details, and the breakdown of allocations to each of the nine states in the Niger Delta. The lack of transparency only confirms that this programme may be a conduit pipe for looting.”
The Forum pointed out that the online nature of the programme made it inaccessible to youths in many remote communities, many of whom lack internet access or even smartphones.
IPF further described the project as “a white elephant scheme with ghost participants,” insisting that it was a calculated attempt to siphon funds under the guise of youth empowerment.
“The Project HOPE is nothing more than an elaborate paperwork deception; crafted to divert resources meant for real developmental interventions. It’s unacceptable for over 10,000 supposed youths to be replaced with invisible names and fake records,” Kagbala said.
Urging the EFCC to take swift and decisive action, the group added, “Niger Delta youths deserve genuine opportunities, not phantom programmes. This mismanagement reflects a deeper culture of impunity within the current NDDC leadership.”
The Forum vowed to continue its independent tracking of NDDC projects and programmes across the region and encouraged Niger Deltans to report abandoned or suspicious initiatives to relevant authorities.
They concluded: “It is a gross injustice for an intervention agency meant to transform the lives of Niger Delta residents to instead be used as a vehicle for corruption. We will not rest until accountability prevails.
