Audit query: NPA recovers $89 million, N2.404 billion outstanding rental debts

Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) on Wednesday disclosed that it has recovered whooping sums of $89 million and N2.404 billion outstanding debt owed by some corporate organisations.

Managing Director, NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman disclosed this during the investigative hearing held at the instance of the House Committee on Public Accounts, chaired by Hon Wole Oke, into the 16 audit queries issued by the office of the Auditor General of the Federation (oAuGF) against NPA.

Usman, who was represented by NPA’s General Manager (Finance), Mr Emeka Ezugwu hinted on the move by the agency to write-off debts from 10 years and above.

Worried by the development, Hon Oke who demanded for the statutory powers derived by NPA to recommend for write off debts, requested for the list of all the affected properties, names of all the occupants, tenancy agreements and actual rent owed, for necessary legislative action.

He observed that the Committee will deploy similar intervention for Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) in the recovery of outstanding debts.

Meanwhile, the Committee has called for the unveiling of the owner and Board of Directors of Mangrove Tech, allegedly owned by the cousin of a former Nigerian President, over the abandoned N7.5 billion contract awarded by Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) since 2012 for shore reclamation and erosion protection with 14 months completion date.

According to the financial record audited by the oAuGF, the sum of N4.248 billion (56.61 per cent) and N128 million insurance premium paid leaving the balance of N344.265 million.

The lawmakers also frowned on the sum of N539.453 million and N19.5 million paid for the purchase of three Toyota Hilux vehicles with no documentary evidence of purchase; N13.5 million paid for annual running cost; N11.250 million compensation paid without any record of beneficiaries; N12.5 million paid for community relations as well as the sum of N128 million insurance paid for work and damages without any evidence of insurance policy.

The lawmakers also queried the presentation of NPA over the outstanding sum of N500 million allegedly owed the company despite failing to complete the project; threatened to adopt the recommendation of the oAuGF to sanction the NPA managing director for the infraction as well as the contractor for failing to complete the project.

Some of the queries issued by the oAuGF include N54.354 million unpaid insurance claims owed by Alliance & General Insurance Plc; 3 Toyota Land Cruiser Jeep unaccounted for by the NPA which were given to the former NPA Board Chairman, late Chief Tony Anenih, and Alhaji Sanusi Ado Bayero; a former NPA Managing Director, Mr Habib Abdullahi.

Others are:  N500 million over-paid to contractors and various Corporate Social Responsibility projects on construction of classroom blocks worth N25.8 million each in Enugu and Gombe states and health centres in Niger State

To this end, the Committee resolved to summon Managing Director of Kakatar Nigeria Limited over the N7.5 billion abandoned project as well as the alleged N500 million owed by NPA.

The Committee also summoned all the Managing Director/CEOs of Insurance companies engaged by NPA; just as it resolved to grant clemency to the late Chief Tony Anenih over the unaccounted-for Toyota Land Cruiser which he took away after leaving office.

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

N2.5trn Voted For Federal Roads In 20 Years
THE Federal Government has in the last 20 years allocated the sum of N2.542 trillion to construction and rehabilitation of federal roads, Tribune Online findings at the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, as well as the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, have revealed. The allocation was made during the administrations of four former leaders of the country; General Abdulsalami Abubakar (1999), Chief Olusegun Obasanjo (1999-2007), Alhaji Umaru Yar’ Adua (2007-2010) and Dr Goodluck Jonathan (2010-2015) and the current…

School Reopening: JAMB Meets Heads Of Tertiary Institutions On New Admission Date
THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board(JAMB) is considering a new date for the commencement of the 2020 admissions processes from the earlier announced date of 22nd August 2020. The Board would accordingly meet all the tertiary institutions on Monday, 10th August 2020, to brainstorm on the possibility of shifting…

MONDAY LINES: Let’s Close Schools Forever
This one that COVID death is killing kings and their horsemen, big men dropping in droves, what do you think will happen if coronavirus stays put till 2023? Will there be elections?” “Why won’t there be elections? Life is for the living. We will hold rallies. We will campaign, we will sing, dance and thoroughly abuse our opponents…