The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) yesterday summoned the Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun and the Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr. Bashir Adeniyi to explain their roles in the delay of several power projects in Nigeria.
The Committee Chaired by Hon. Bamidele Salam (Osun-PDP) resolved to invite both the minister and the NCS at the resumed hearing of the cases bothering on the procurement contracts involving several companies who were to embark on capital projects for the various electricity distribution companies in the accelerated transmission and distribution interface project.
Salam, while speaking said that the committee was beaming its searchlight on issues around the procedure for the disbursement of loans and accessing the funds by the contractors as well as the repayment pattern for the loans that the distribution companies received from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Recall that while making their presentations on the status enquiry/investigation on the projects worth $231,004,002.8 and N18,264,411,235.66, contractors blamed the Federal Government and financial institutions for making it difficult for them to access the funds that were released for the projects.
The contractors during their presentations lamented that the inability to give them waiver had accounted for the reason their equipment was at the seaport for long and demurrage accumulated on them thereby adding extra burden to their contractual obligations.
A member of the committee, Hon Zakaria Nyampa however expressed dismay over the plights of the contractors and moved a motion that both the minister and the NCS boss be invited over the unfortunate development
“Mr. Chairman, with your kind support, I want to come as a motion to summon the Nigeria Customs and the Minister of Finance to clarify on this challenge because the issue of power sector affects everybody. It affects our economy as a nation and if these things are just being introduced, it is quite unfortunate.
“So, Mr. Chairman, I want to move that we invite them and still invite the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to come and make the same presentation. The contractors will also be here and everybody will know that some people are also part of our suffering in this country,” Nyampa said .
