$852m operators debt: Senate issues 48-hr ultimatum to NPA
The Nigerian Senate has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to appear before it.
The Committee ordered the NPA to appear before it to explain the $852 million debt owed by operators to it.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Aliyu Ahmed Wadada, SDP, Nasarawa West saud the Committee is carrying out the investigation relying on the 2017 Auditor General’s Report forwarded to it.
The query read, “This Committee relies partly and not wholly on the Auditor General for the Federation’s audit report to discharge its responsibilities. but beyond, the Committee as well goes on status enquiry where it writes Ministries, Departments and Agencies whenever it wants to know the status of these agencies whether those agencies and departments are in question.
“And the Committee based on its commitment to the development and growth of Nigeria is not out to witch hunt anybody, or want to take anybody to the cleaners. And the Committee under my stewardship with support of my distinguished members have had cause to say this not once, not twice, that we should understand that audited or Auditor-General’s report is not an indictment on any ministry, department or agencies of government, but rather a wake up call for us to know what was wrongly committed by who.
“Going forward, we should find a way to correct the wrong to make the system better and we move on to greater heights.
“Today, the Committee is compelled to say what I am going to say concerning the Nigeria Ports Authority, NPA. 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.
“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.
“Today, the Nigeria Ports Authority was supposed to have appeared before this Committee so that we can 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.
“Some of these queries have got something to do with indebtedness of terminal operators which is almost a billion dollars, eight hundred and fifty two million dollars ninety-three thousand, Seven Hundred and seventy-seven cents.
“There is also an outstanding estate rent, shipping dues, and service boats of over $68 million. The status of long outstanding debtors are all issues to be answered by the Nigeria Ports Authority. This is not to talk about issues surrounding Lagos channel management and Calabar channel management,” He said.
