Leadership Bulletproof Cars: NCAA Doesn’t Remit Revenue To FG - Reps By: Adesuwa Tsan, George Agba on October 22, 2013 - 5:32am Amidst the public outcry against the financing of two bulletproof vehicles for the minister of aviation, Ms Stella Oduah, at a cost of N255million, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has, again, come under scrutiny for violating the Fiscal Responsibility Act. This time round, the House of Representatives has alleged that the NCAA had not remitted internally generated revenue (IGR) to the Consolidated Revenue Account of Nigeria for some time. LEADERSHIP checks revealed that the agency is on the ‘A’ list of those the House Committee on Finance has been engaging for failure to remit 25 per cent operating surplus to the coffers of the federal government in line with the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act. Chairman of the committee Hon Abdulmumin Jubrin (PDP, Kano), who confirmed this exclusively to LEADERSHIP last night, also added that the agency was “under extreme scrutiny” and one of the “worst agencies” that are “extremely poor” in remitting revenue generated in their operations. He disclosed that it was not surprising that the NCAA could afford to foot the bill of the bulletproof cars because “they have been raising and spending revenue recklessly without any recourse to authority”. “NCAA is one of the worst agencies which flout the FRA. Their remittances are extremely poor; in fact, they do not pay any IGR at all. They evade the committee (on Finance) whenever they are summoned on the matter and are under extreme scrutiny of the committee,” the lawmaker added. Disclosing that lawmakers would summon the agency as the House resumes today, Jibrin described the purchase of the bulletproof cars as “reckless management of finances and a complete embarrassment that could only happen because they raise and spend recklessly”. “The spending of the agency is done indiscriminately, irrationally, unnecessarily and there is need to sit and look into it. We have been shouting on the need for these agencies to remit their excess revenue to the federation account and now we have been vindicated because this is the kind of expenditure they do,” Jibrin said. NCAA ranks among other agencies like the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for non- remittance or poor remittance of IGR. According to a report laid on the floor of the House by the Committee on Finance, these agencies have short-changed the federal government of as much as N113.8 billion as they only remitted N11.8 billion or 9.41 per cent of their internally generated revenue (IGR) of N125.6 billion in the 2012 fiscal year. The committee succeeded after several engagements in compelling some of the affected agencies to remit their surplus with a backlog but NCAA and the NNPC are among agencies that have not complied with the Act, citing losses and sundry excuses. The Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) 2007 mandates 31 select government corporations and agencies, including the NCAA, to pay the balance of their operating surplus to government’s Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) “not later than one month following the statutory deadline for publishing each corporation’s accounts”. Falana invokes FOI Act, wants NCAA to provide information on bullet proof cars Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and human rights activists, Chief Femi Falana yesterday gave the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) seven days to make available to him certified true copies of documents for the acquisition the controversial bullet proof BMW cars worth $1.6 million. The Lagos lawyer who had at the weekend threatened to institute legal action should the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) refuse to commence investigation into the transaction process of the security vehicles. Invoking the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act in a bid to conduct his own private investigation into the matter, Falana who noted that the documents he is demanding for must include budgetary approval and due process for the whole transaction, also requested for all the papers of past acquisition of such armoured cars by the aviation ministry or the NCAA as claimed by Captain FolaAkinkuotu, Director General of NCAA. The NCAA boss had at a press conference in Abuja claimed that it was customary that the organisation acquire such vehicles to be part of its pool for the purpose of conveying the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah and foreign diplomats. But in a letter he addressed to the MD of NCAA, Falana said it became necessary to make information pertaining to the purchase of the vehicles available to him following the claims made by NCAA boss that purchase of such armoured vehicles had been a tradition in the aviation sector. The letter from Falana and Falana chambers signed on his behalf by Mr.AdedotunIsola-Osobu reads: “In your press conference at Abuja held on Friday, October 18, 2013 you did admit that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) actually bought the controversial armoured cars and that “it is customary to convey the Minister and visiting dignitaries in security vehicles whenever they are in Nigeria”. “In the light of your claim at the said press conference we are compelled to request you to make available to us certified true copies of the documents relating to the purchase of the cars, including budgetary approval and due process for the entire transaction. “Since you claimed that it is customary to purchase such cars for Aviation Minister and visiting foreign dignitaries you are also requested to provide the records of previous purchase of armoured cars by the Aviation Ministry or the NCAA”. Indicating the deadline for the provision of the information, Falana added: “Take Notice that you are mandatorily required to supply the requested information within SEVEN DAYS of the receipt of this letter by virtue of the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011”.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 06:57:03 +0000
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