The Home of Representatives yesterday waded into the continuing controversy between the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) and Intels Nigeria Restricted.
The Home, whereas adopting a movement by Rep Diri Douye (PDP, Bayelsa), resolved to represent an advert hoc panel to probe the circumstances that led to NPA’s resolution to terminate an current contract between it and Intels.
The committee is to determine if due course of was adopted within the termination of the settlement and different associated issues. It has two weeks to submit its report.
The Home stated NPA ought to reverse the termination of the contract with Intels, pending the result of the investigation.
The movement brought on severe division among the many lawmakers, with numerous them opposing it. But it surely scaled via ultimately.
Douye stated the settlement included the development and operation of Apapa, Warri, Federal Ocean Terminal Port and Onne in Port Harcourt, which he stated Intels spent $900 million on.
Nonetheless, he stated, NPA terminated the contract in a letter to the Legal professional Normal of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN), on September 27, saying the motion was based mostly on an alleged illegality of the settlement.
The motion, the lawmaker stated, has adverse penalties on the Nigerians working at Intels and their dependents.
In supporting the movement, Sergius Ogun (PDP, Edo), stated the Home should intervene within the matter as Intels employees had been already protesting on the ports.
Equally, different lawmakers corresponding to Hassan Saleh (APC, Benue), Simon Arabo (PDP, Kaduna) supported the movement.
However opposing the movement, Rep Rotimi Agunsoye (APC, Lagos) stated the Home ought to go away the matter for the judiciary to determine, calling on Intels to go to court docket.
Additionally, Rep Ahmad Babba Kaita (APC, Katsina) stated there gave the impression to be monopoly on the a part of Intels as all different aggressive corporations folded up after the settlement was signed.
“Intels as we see at present shouldn’t be even owned by Nigerians. The possession construction of the corporate is only international, however they use Nigerians as fronts and killed many indigenous corporations working in the identical trade,” he stated.
Rep Aliyu Sani Madaki (APC, Kano), stated Intels’ refusal to pay the collected income to the federal government coffers via the Treasury Single Account (TSA) went opposite to Part 81 of the structure which offers that “all revenues or different monies made on behalf of presidency shall be paid to an account often called the Consolidated Income Account of the Federation.”
However Speaker Yakubu Dogara responded by saying there’s nowhere on the planet that monopoly is an offence, saying “some companies are higher carried out in a monopolistic setting.”
[Daily Trust]
