1 Reviews
President Aigbokhan August 08, 2020
Power of the Court to Appoint an Auditor
In 2015, we filed an action against Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in Suit No: FHC/B/CS/21/2015 seeking for disclosure of selected documents for the purpose of assessing the fiscal and financial responsibility of the regional development agency and also sought for injunctive relief restraining the National Assembly from approving the 2015 budget pending the outcome of the audit. The court granted some of the reliefs but refused to grant the relief seeking the court to appoint an independent auditor to audit the account of the agency on the ground that that its inherent powers does not extend to the grant of such an order. The High Courts have always been laid back in granting novel reliefs of public interest of this nature. We thank Mr. President Mohammadu Buhari, GCFR for granting the marching order for audit of the Commission. Meanwhile, outside the audit there should be public hearing. Figures can be hidden but the hotels built with the development fund cannot be buried in the sand.