MD/CEO, Expanded Interim Management Committee (EIMC), of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Prof Kemebradikumo Pondei, on Tuesday opened up on the incident at the House of Representatives, where he suddenly fainted while being questioned by lawmakers, a month ago.
Vanguard reports Prof Pondei as saying that the sin of the current EIMC was that it tried to clean up the financial indiscretions of past managements.
He said: “The balance was for recurrent expenditure, including the backlog of debts owed to service providers and the backlog of allowances approved for staff by previous managements, but left unpaid.”
The EIMC MD continued, “our sin has been that we have tried to clean up the embarrassing debts incurred by previous managements.”
On what led to his collapse, Prof. Pondei said: “I had an unexplained, unexpected health challenge. It is ridiculous to think that people believed I was acting. I would not pray for anyone to experience what I went through. I do not run from issues. I have put all that behind me.”
Speaking on the delay in passing the Commission’s 2019 Budget, he revealed: “A minor typographical error was noticed and we asked for 10 minutes to amend the errors, but the presentation was stepped down. The National Assembly (NASS) has since gone on recess.”
