House Committee Threatens to Invoke Legislative Powers against Customs CG, NPA MD

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The House of Representatives ad hoc committee has threatened to invoke relevant legislative powers against the Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi and the Managing Director of Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) Mohammed Bello-Koko, following their refusal to appear before it.

The ad hoc committee issued the warning yesterday, at the resumed investigative hearing into the disposal of public property by the agencies between 2010 and 2022 to unravel the extent of illegal auctioning of public property, non-remittance of revenue realised into Consolidated Revenue Fund’.

The Majority Leader of the House and Chairman of the ad hoc committee Hon. Julius Ihonbvere, said “this political rascality and irresponsibility must stop.”

He added: “This kind of political rascality and irresponsibility must stop! No Chief Executive is above the law, we are the lawmakers and when we summon an agency here, that agency must show up. Because we have the powers to summon anyone in this country by powers that are guaranteed constitutionally and we think this kind of lackadaisical and almost infantile behavior at this stage, we have to check it and stop it.

“Twice, we have summoned them, but they refused to show up here. We know what our powers are and after this hearing we would be taking the next steps in that direction.”

Ihonbvere noted that the goal of the 10th House was to work seamlessly with agencies of government irrespective of what their functions might be.

He added: “But since some agencies particularly the Customs and the NPA have proven recalcitrant, it is now left for this Committee and the House of Representatives to demonstrate to them the powers granted us by the Constitution and we will be taking that next step.

“We are not going to appeal to them again, we are not going to call them, we are not going to write to them; they will hear from the appropriate sections of the House of Representatives.”

eanwhile, the Director General/CEO of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Bashir Jimoh, is expected to appear before the Ad-hoc Committee today, to give further details on the sales of 82 vehicles at paltry sum of N5.8 million over the past 12 years as presented by the Executive Director Finance and Admin, Mr. Chudi Offodile.

Extracts from the documents adopted by Offodile further revealed that 39 exotic vehicles including Toyota Prado Jeeps, Toyota Hilux, Toyota Coaster Buses, Honda CR-V, Honda Civic, Toyota Avensis, Nissan Ovan Buses, among others were also sold at cumulative sum of N6,753,500 through Forced Liquidation/Auction Value in 2022.

In line with the resolution passed by the Ad-hoc Committee, Jimoh would be expected to present list of all the auctioneers as well as beneficiaries of the vehicles, the original cost of vehicles and invoices, letter of contract awards for auctioning of the assets to the Auctioneers; relevant approvals obtained from Federal Ministry of Works & Housing as well as Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).