Nigeria Assembly probes NPA over alleged $1bn secret account
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| Nigerian Ports Authority with a balance of over $1bn |
The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the alleged secret account being kept by the Nigerian Ports Authority with a balance of over $1bn.
The move followed the unanimous adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by Mr Kolawole Lawal at the plenary on Thursday.
The motion was entitled, ‘The Need to Investigate the Alleged Illegal Secret Account Opened by the Nigerian Ports Authority in Unity Bank to Collect Revenue from Vessels.’
Consequently, the House mandated the Committees on Finance; and Ports and Harbours to “investigate these allegations and counter-allegations, determine if the Nigerian Ports Authority or any of their personnel committed any infractions.”
Recall that a whistle-blower, John Okupurhe, had claimed that he informed the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation about a hidden or secret account operated by the NPA in Unity Bank to in violation of the Federal Government’s Treasury Single Account policy, which led to the exposure of an account in a Lagos branch of Unity Bank, where $1,034, 516,000 was kept.
The office of the AGF had replied that the government paid whistle-blowers whose information led to successful recovery of illicit funds and not for mere exposure of suspected illegitimate funds.
However, the NPA said the account had not been in operation since August 27, 2010 due to a suit, where a garnishee order was placed on it, following a case, which went from the Federal High Court to the Supreme Court over a period of eight years.
But Lawal said, “The House is concerned that the material particulars of the allegations by the whistle-blower have been contradicted by the NPA but since public fund is involved in the matter, it is imperative that the House intervenes in the crisis, with a view to establishing the true situation in public interest. “The House is concerned also that the NPA may be operating from other account in similar situation.