The Ijaw Publishers' Forum (IPF) has intensified its call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, over suspected corrupt activities in the Commission.

The call was made in a statement signed by the Spokesperson of the Forum, Comrade Ezekiel Kagbala, with copies made available to newsmen in Warri, Delta State on Monday, August 24, 2025.

The media practitioners urged the EFCC to borrow a leaf from the ICPC to expose suspected corrupt activities such as contract scams, unauthorized spending, ghost project-Hope, unrealistic youth intensive programs, failure to pay/third-party payment of contractors, execution of substandard contracts, abandoned contracts and other failed projects of the commission to recover looted funds.

The Forum in the released statement commended the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for speaking against the corrupt activities of the NDDC under Dr. Ogbuku.

Reacting to the warning by the ICPC to NDDC's staff against engaging in corrupt practices, the Forum said EFCC should focus on its mandate of being a watchdog to all institutions and organizations in the country, rather than "being a friend with a cat."

The Publishers said that the recent statement of the EFCC applauding the Dr. Ogbuku-led administration was unhealthy and suspicious, noting that Niger Delta region may "lose confidence in the EFCC's ability and capacity to fight crime in the country if this political praise-singing of trade by barter continues."

The Forum cautioned EFCC to refrain from dining with people who were responsible for the underdevelopment of the region, adding that EFCC should not make itself a part of the NDDC, but should stand with the impoverished people of Niger Delta to checkmate the Commission's corrupt activities.

"We express our deep concerns over the use of reckless and fraudulent schemes employed by the current NDDC leadership to siphon resources intended for the infrastructural development of the Niger Delta region," the Forum stated.

On the parley between the NDDC and the EFCC, the Forum stated, "The partnership between the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and anti-graft agencies, particularly the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) raises serious questions about the integrity of efforts to combat corruption within the agency.

"The EFCC must prioritize its mandate, to prevent and prosecute corrupt Individuals, rather than engaging in partnerships that may inadvertently shield corrupt officials from scrutiny.

"The EFCC should re-evaluate its approach, and show commitment to its core mission of safeguarding public funds, ensuring that it does not become complicit in the very corruption it was established to combat," the Forum emphasised.

The IPF in its call also urged the EFCC to expose corruption in the NDDC just as the ICPC during the agency's quarterly anti-corruption sensitization workshop for NDDC staff who were warned that "anybody caught in corrupt act would face the full wrath of the law".

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