Confab committee summons Customs, NPA, others
- Adede heads transport committee
The Public Finance and Revenue Committee at the ongoing National Conference on Tuesday summoned the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi, to appear before it.
The committee also summoned top management staff of the Finance Ministry, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to appear before it on Wednesday or Friday this week.
The committee said the government funtionaries were invited to explain how the activities of their ministries, departments and agencies were being carried out.
Chairmen of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC)and top management staff of the Debt Management Office (DMO), National Planning Commission, National Lottery Commission; Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and other agencies involved in revenue generation were also summoned by the committee.
The delegates will probe the effectiveness, efficiency and their relevance of the MDAs, with a view to proffering solutions to the myriad of problems affecting them in order to block all loopholes and wastage.
Chairman of the committee and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Adamu Aliero, explained that the committee’s secretariat would serve the relevant government agencies notices of summon to enable them appear yesterday.
According to the work schedule, each of the MDAs is allocated only one hour to make its presentation.
During the deliberations, the committee rejected suggestions that questionnaires be sent to the MDAs on the ground that the information that may be returned to them might not tally with the true picture on ground.
The committee members also complained about the short period allocated to them to conclude the assignment.
In his explanation, a member of the committee and a delegate representing the South-South geo- political zone of the country, Chief Sergeant Awuse, who noted that the committees were set up to enable members have direct interaction with the technocrats, however, advised committee members to be cautious of information posted on websites by MDAs.
According to Awuse, in view of time constraint and heavy workload, committee members should make sacrifices and work extra time, including working weekends, to enable them do a thorough job.
Meanwhile former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Senator Musa Adede, has been appointed to serve as chairman of the 24-member Committee on Transportation at the ongoing National Conference in Abuja.
The transportation Committee is one of the 20 committees set up by the leadership of the conference and released to the public on Wednesday last week.
A retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, Ralph Osanaiye, will serve as the deputy.
Other members of the committee include Abubakar Yusuf, Adewusi Promise, Agbonwanegbe Chris, Akpan Brenda, Anoliefo Obi, Barkindo Bello, Bulama Abdu, Ebinum J.I, Ibrahim Hadiza, Isiwele Shehu, Lohor Hannatu and Clement Mgbada.
Others are Nahaya Baba, Nwagwu Ezenwa, Obur Clifford, Olasanoye Oyinkan, Olukoya Michael, Sanni Felicia, Mudathir Sekoni, Ugoeze Okonkwo, John Uko and Lydia Viko.
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