Senators Divided over Alleged N177bn Surplus for NPA
*As NPA generates N303bn in 2017
Senators were Wednesday divided over claims that the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) did not remit the sum of N177 bn operational surplus it recorded in 2017 fiscal year into the Federation Account.
Senator Mohammed Hassan who is a member of the Senate Committee on Marine Transport said the NPA had last year made the sum of N303 bn as total operational revenue, out of which it spent N125 bn as operational cost leaving a balance of N177bn.
Hassan who said that this was discovered during the budget defence argued that under the 1999 Constitution and extant laws of NPA, the sum should have been remitted into the federation account.
. According to Hassan, “This to me, and by extension the Senate, should not be condoned because the committee discovered this seven months ago and ordered the agency to do the needful, which it has not done up till now.”
However, the Senate Deputy Majority leader, Bala Ibn Na’Allah, in his response cautioned the Senate against relying on the allegations of Senator Hassan.
Na’Allah explained that there were three categories of income of public agencies, adding that the amount he quoted was in the category of what could be described as perceived income.
Similarly, Chairman, Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima also attacked Hassan, querying why he did not make such allegations before the Committee before bringing it to the floor of the Senate.
Yerima said he and other Committee members were not aware of the allegation by Hassan.
To save the situation, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa called on the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki to direct the Committee members to go and settle the issue before bringing it to the floor of the Senate.
Saraki had in his ruling directed the Chairman of the Committee and other members to meet over the allegation and bring the matter back to the Senate in two weeks.
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