Dege quits, probe to go on

By MALUM NALU
NATIONAL Housing Corporation chairman Henry Mokono says a Government probe into NHC will continue despite the resignation of managing director John Dege to contest next year’s general election.
He said yesterday that the board at its recent meeting in Lae had approved the resignation of Dege effective from next Thursday.
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill in August ordered a full probe into how the NHC was being managed and said he would present a full report to Parliament in the next session, which begins on Oct 25.
Mokono said the board would recommend an acting managing director to Housing Minister Paul Isikiel to fill in the vacancy left by Dege.
“Our position as a board is to appoint somebody within NHC,” he said.
“We don’t have to look externally.
“As far as John Dege is concerned, the board has already made a decision and accepted his resignation.”
Mokono said the probe into the NHC was a matter for the investigation team set up by the prime minister.
“There is so much at stake,” he said.
“This is the entity responsible for rolling out housing programmes for Papua New Guineans and at the same time, there are problems within management of every sector of this entity.
“This needs to be properly investigated.
“The terms-of-reference should be wider so that it draws on a lot more than is required.”
Mokono said the board was not privy to the terms-of-reference.
“For a thorough and in-depth investigation, they need to widen the scope of the terms-of-reference so it covers every bit like financial management, administration, human resource,” he said.
“NHC is covered basically everywhere in Papua New Guinea with millions of kina worth of investment by the Government, and managed by this entity.
“It’s the biggest real-estate owner in Papua New Guinea.
“It (investigation) needs to be done properly.”