Senate probes N177 billion NPA Operating Surplus 

This was sequel to a motion moved by Mohammed Hassan (PDP, Yobe State) at plenary on Wednesday.

Relying on Order 42 of the Senate Standing Order 2015 (as amended), the lawmaker told his colleagues that the Nigerian Ports Authority reported a gross revenue of N303 billion in 2017, out of which N177 billion operating surplus was unaccounted for.

According to him, he made the discoveries when the Authority appeared before the Committee on Marine Transport during the 2018 statutory budget defence of NPA.

Hassan who is also a member of the committee, wondered why the panel is yet to present its report, seven months after the management of the agency appeared before the committee.

He said: “You will recall that seven months ago, the budget of the NPA was presented to this Senate. And since then, the committee swung into action. And very serious observations were raised at the committee level. One of such was that NPA recorded a gross revenue of N303 billion.

“Meanwhile, its expenditure for that year was N125 billion. Therefore, N177 billion operating surplus that was recorded by NPA. Not a single dime was reported to have been remitted either to the Consolidated Revenue Fund or to the General Reserve Fund.

“We raised these fundamental observations to the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority and six months later, we have not heard anything from them.

“So the question is: where is this N177 billion? Seven months after, we have not heard from the committee, we have not heard from the Management (of NPA)”.

In his defence, Chairman of the Committee, Ahmed Sani attributed the delay to harmonisation of the panel’s report with that of the House of Representatives.

He also defended NPA’s action, citing Section 82 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The section which deals with ‘Authorisation of expenditure from Consolidated Revenue Fund’ provides that: “If the Appropriation Bill in respect of any financial year has not been passed into law by the beginning of the financial year, the President may authorise the withdrawal of moneys in the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation for the purpose of meeting expenditure necessary to carry on the services of the Government of the Federation for a period not exceeding months or until the coming into operation of the Appropriate Act, whichever is the earlier:

“Provided that the withdrawal in respect of any such period shall not exceed the amount authorised to be withdrawn from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation under the provisions of the Appropriation Act passed by the National Assembly for the corresponding period in the immediately preceding financial year, being an amount proportionate to the total amount so authorised for the immediately preceding financial year”.

In their separate contributions, Deputy Majority Leader, Bala Na’allah as well as Mao Ohuabunwa, submitted that the matter be referred to the committee, expressing surprise that the committee would wash its dirty linens at plenary.

Ruling on the matter, Senate President Bukola Saraki who presided over the session, asked the Marine Transport Committee to look into the matter and report back in three days.