***Asks NCS to refund N62.2 billion to federation account
The Senate has expressed utmost displeasure over the inability of key revenue generating agencies including the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to stop what it called serious cases of revenue leakages in the country.
The Senate which spoke through its Public Account Committee disclosed that the NPA failed to recover a total of $1 billion representing the debt of terminal operators as well as another $68 million outstanding shipping bills and estate rents
The committee at its sitting also adopted the audit query issued to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) over the non remittance of some N62.2 billion to the federation account.
The committee which charged the revenue generating agencies to wake up to their responsibilities noted that the continued leakages in revenue threw the country into perennial budget deficit situation and borrowing.
Chairman of the committee, Ahmed Aliu Wadada, said the committee was disappointed that the management of the NPA failed to appear before it for questioning even after invitations were properly sent by the Committee.
Wadada said:
“The Nigeria Ports Authority is found wanting on both ends, one, on the Auditor General for the Federation’s annual report and also, on ends of the status enquiry.
“Some of these queries have got to do with indebtedness of terminal operators which is almost a billion dollars. There is also an outstanding estate rent, shipping dues, and service boats of over 68 million dollars.” He further disclosed.
The lawmaker revealed that
“There are issues around Lagos channel management, Bonny channel management and of course, Calabar channel management. On these issues, the Committee respectfully wrote the management of NPA management . Some of the communications were responded to, and some are yet to be responded to”
On the failure of NPA management to honour the committee’s invitations, Wadada said:
“Today the Nigeria Ports Authority was supposed to have appeared before this Committee so that we look at queries raised by the Auditor General for the Federation. The management team is not here, the MD, Directors and other top management are not here. They rather chose to send a General Manager to us and at a time the NPA was called to the table, the General Manager was unavoidably absent. Though, she later came and complained that she went for her medication”