Reps grill Saraki over NIMASA, Peterside shuns panel

The House of Representatives has placed the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency on full status enquiry over failure to present its audited accounts from 2015 to 2018 to the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation.

The House Committee on Public Accounts, at an investigative hearing in Abuja on Tuesday, placed the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation on status enquiry, while also summoning the Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, over unaudited accounts of the NDIC.

A representative of the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation, Mr Julius Dung, at the session confirmed the non-receipt of the accounts of both organisations.

The committee had last week summoned the Minister of State for Transport, Mrs Gbemisola Saraki, and the permanent secretary of her ministry to explain the continued shunning of its summons to the Director-General of NIMASA, Dakuku Peterside.

Peterside, however, failed to appear before the committee on Tuesday.

The Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Mr Gambo Ahmed, told the committee that the DG was out of Nigeria on an international assignment.

The committee, however, rejected the excuse for his absence.

Saraki, who appeared before the committee, gave reasons why NIMASA failed to provide its audited accounts, which the committee insisted was not acceptable.

In a related development, the House has asked the Security and Exchange Commission to provide evidence of remittances to Consolidated Revenue Fund from 2006 to 2018 before March 3.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, Mr James Faleke, issued the directive at an investigative hearing on Tuesday in Abuja. He asked the management of SEC to reappear before the committee to reconcile the commission’s remittances with the report by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

Meanwhile, the House has stated its commitment to ensuring that agreements between oil companies and the host communities are enforced and the latter granted their dues.

Speaker of the House, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, stated this at a public hearing organised by the joint Committees on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements; and Petroleum Resources (Upstream) in Abuja on Tuesday.

The hearing was on the ‘Holistic Review of All Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding between Oil Companies and Host Communities.’

Also, the Speaker said the House would take steps to fast-track the consideration and amendment of the Companies and Allied Matters Act. Gbajabiamila made this commitment during a meeting with the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council led by the Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, according to a statement by his media office.