National Assembly
Senate gives NPA 48hrs ultimatum to produce unaccounted $1.8bn
Senate Chamber
Senate Committee on Public Accounts has issued a 48 hours ultimatum to the management of the Nigeria Ports Authority, NPA to provide answers into the over $1.8billion unaccounted for, in the purse of the Authority.
It also threatened to “use all instruments available by law to bring the management of NPA to order” if it violates the ultimatum.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Ahmed Wadada Aliyu while briefing journalists on Tuesday at the National Assembly, disclosed that the NPA management has been unable to clarify on the whereabouts of $ 852, 930, 730, $ 1, 878, 509, 057 belonging to the agency.
Senator Aliyu also berated the Managing Director of the NPA over alleged refusal to appear before the panel, adding that his representative was nowhere to be found when it was time for the interface.
He said: “Nobody is above the law, or would be allowed to take the institution of the National Assembly for granted. We are the people’s parliament. We are here on the mandate of the people, and we will not take disrespect from anybody.”
The committee chairman further revealed that the management of the NPA would not furnish details on $68 million covering “outstanding estate rents, shipping bills, service boats, among others.”
Senator Aliyu added that the status of long standing debts and debtors form part of the issues that the management is expected to answer.
Others, according to him, are Lagos Channel management, Bonny Channel management, Calabar Channel management.
Meanwhile, the panel had interface with the management of the National Commission for Colleges of Education, NCCE; Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office, NMCO, and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), respectively.
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