Speaking to the Tribune Online exclusively on Monday in Lagos, the NPA’s Principal Manager, Public Affairs, Ibrahim Nasiru explained that the allegations of missing 282 vessels is just another controversial insinuations that cannot be proven.
According to Nasiru, who currently acts as the agency’s Spokesman, “How can they say 282 vessels just disappeared at our ports? Is that possible at this age? With all the technology we have at the ports?
“This are just mere allegations, until they prove it, we consider such as mere allegations. With the technology system that we currently have at our ports; our Tracking system, our Command and Control and Communication System; how can vessels just disappear like that? Its just a subject of controversy.
“The MD is not having any sleepless nights over this. Everybody is sleeping like babies. The people that are insinuating, let them come and prove that vessels disappeared from our ports.”
It would be recalled that the Senate’s Joint Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff and Marine Transport had given the NPA four days to explain the whereabouts of over 282 vessels whose contents were said to be unaccounted for.
The committee’s Chairman, Hope Uzodinma, gave the ultimatum in Abuja, at an investigative hearing on N30 trillion alleged lost through leakages in Customs and other agencies.
Uzodinma expressed displeasure with Hadiza Bala Usman, Managing Director of NPA for not honouring the committee’s two previous invitations, saying information on the vessels was imperative and must be made available within four days.
He threatened that the senate may be compelled to pursue a financial crime case against Usman should she fail to heed the committee’s directive.
“We are looking for these vessels. We have the dates of arrival, the ports of discharge and manifest. Everything is with us but in information available to us, no money was collected by Customs, the NPA or any other person.
“So, you have four days to do your written explanation otherwise, we will consider it a financial crime,” he said.
According to Uzodinma, there are also recent cases of missing vessels that have been discovered.
“I mean recent ones that happened under the new management. The NPA is the custodian of the vessels; it received the cargoes and the terminal is theirs.
“We want to know under whose authority the cargoes were released,” the committee chairman said.
The lawmaker said that the committee had also uncovered the activities of a port cabal that had defrauded the nation to the tune of over N30 trillion.
“It is common knowledge that infractions abound in daily transactions at the nation’s ports, commercial banks, shipping companies, terminal owners and operators. They connive at ease with officials to defraud the nation of trillions of Naira. Preliminary evidence before us suggests that this is the case in all sea ports,” he said.
He expressed concern that the leakages and infractions were costing the country huge revenue losses, while also constituting security threat. The lawmaker, however, expressed optimism that the Senate was determined to tackle the assault on the economy.
He said that in doing so, the committee would be minded by the reality that those who wanted to bleed the nation without remorse must be dealt with without reprieve.
“Consequently, all those indicted in this crime will be made to face the full wrath of the law. The nature and methodologies of these infractions include abuse of Form M and violation of foreign exchange manual issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), incorrect classification, under-valuation and incorrect declaration.
“Others are incorrect origin, error in calculation, temporary importation, exemptions and waivers, foreign exchange manipulations, unit cost analysis on excise, smuggling and illegal removal of cargo from terminals and lack of exit certificate by vessels.
“We shall zero our search light into these areas of infraction and we are certain that our suspicions shall be confirmed.
“Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Ports Authority, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), shipping companies, operators of bonded terminals and importers and exporters have questions to answer,” he said.
Uzodinma emphasised that the joint committee would carry out its assignment without fear or favour.
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