House of Reps veto Jonathan on Customs probe

“The lawmakers insist on investigating the alleged phony outsourcing contract despite an internal probe ordered by the President.” 

The House of Representatives is forging ahead with the probe of the outsourcing of Customs documentation service despite a presidential inquiry ordered by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Lawmakers say Nigeria will lose over $30 billion except the outsourcing of the automated documentation for Nigerian Customs, for which the government has already spent N300bn to train Customs staff, is reversed.

Public hearings over the contract, which was awarded by former Minister of Finance, Olusegun Aganga, commenced on Monday.

The current Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said the contract has been suspended on the orders of the President while a separate panel, headed by Okonjo-Iweala, has been asked by the president to investigate the contract.

But the House committee rejected the proposal, vowing to continue public hearings into the deal.

It summoned Okonjo-Iweala to personally answer questions about the contract on Tuesday or be arrested.

“The National Assembly is a different arm with its own responsibilities,” said Leo Ogor, who heads the committee. “Whatever investigation they carry out in the ministry is their own internal business.”

The presidential inquiry comes as several officials of government have been placed in the spotlight by the House probe.

Aganga, who is the current Trade and Investment minister, is accused of flouting due process and awarding the contract to a phony company.

The firm, Single Windows System Technology Nigeria Limited, was only registered months after it had already secured the massive contract with only N1million share capital, according to testimonies at the House on Monday.

The testimonies also allege that the company was registered by one Mohammed Kaoje, a 35-year-old who owns 60 per cent share, while Ahmed Bello, son of a former Comptroller General of Customs, owns 25 per cent.

The concession agreement is to run for 15 to 20 years, while the company in return will impose new levies on imports and even exports.

Also as part of the deal, the company will take 80 per cent of all proceeds while the federal government and the Customs will take 10 per cent apiece.

Aganga did not appear at the hearing on Monday.

-By Bennie Iferi 

Source: DailyTimes

Get more trends like this

Subscribe to our mailing list and get latest Nigeria trends in your inbox.

Get more trends like this
in your inbox

Subscribe to our mailing list and get latest Nigeria trends in your inbox.