Reps fault Trade Ministry for transferring N14bn to NEPZA, insist minister must appear to explain

The House of Representatives has faulted the transfer of N14 billion to the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) by the Industry, Trade and Investment Ministry.

The lawmakers has therefore said that the minister for the ministry, Okey Enalamah, must appear before it to explain the ministry’s 2018 budget spending and 2019 estimates.

Reps members stated this on Monday after Enalamah missed its budget session following his engagement on official assignment outside the country.

A team from the ministry led by the Permanent Secretary, Edet Akpan Sunday, had represented it during the session and was engaged by Sylvester Ogbaga-led House Committee on Commerce.

The lawmakers had during the course of their interaction faulted the ministry’s transfer of N14 billion to the NEPZA. It said it was not satisfied with the explanation given by the Trade Ministry team on its demand whether the fund was appropriated vired or warehoused in NEPZA.

The committee was also not comfortable on why a supposedly Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement to be ran by a private company with 75 per cent ownership had no financial commitment while the Federal government has paid it’s 25 per cent or N14 billion fully.

It was sequel to these findings that the committee demanded that Enalamah ensure he appears before it with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as well as the shareholding structure and the modus operandi of the company involved.

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Other things the committee said it was not satisfied with include the explanation the ministry team gave on its ‘fresh’ recruitment of over 100 staff into the ministry about three years ago without the knowledge of the parliament, the explanation of the Permanent Secretary on the allocation and spending of N250 million by the ministry on meetings, inspections and programs in 2018, among others.

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