By Okechukwu Jombo
The Senate has uncovered how officials of the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Agency allegedly paid $5 million to a legal firm as professional fee for the recovery of $9.3 billion loss.
The Senate made the shocking discovery through its Panel on Public Accounts, headed by Senator Matthew Urhogbide.
The $5 million, which is five per cent of the amount agreed, was paid for the
intelligence-based tracking of global movement of Nigerian hydro-carbon and recovery of loss by the Federal Government of Nigeria in the sum of $9.3 billion between 2013 and 2014.
Urhogbide, who expressed dissatisfaction with the failure of the officials of NIMASA to appear before the Panel, said it has no other option than to issue a warrant of arrest on the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh.
According to him; “We have invited NIMASA up to three times, but they have failed to honour our invitations.”
“This Committee has no other option than to issue warrant of arrest against the Director General of the agency.
“They can come to the National Assembly for the appropriation of fund, but when it is time to give account, they will be nowhere to be found.
“The Committee had invited NIMASA up to three times for the explanation on the payment of $5 million as professional fee and details of $9.3 billion loss by the Federal Government, but the agency declined the invitation.”
The report of the Auditor General sighted by our Correspondent revealed that all efforts by the Auditor General of the Federation to see the details of $9.3 billion loss by the Federal Government for thorough scrutiny was not granted by NIMASA.
The query reads: “Audit observed that the agency engaged the service of a legal firm through a letter with reference number NIMASA/DG/KP/2014/001, dated 24th January 2014 for the intelligence based tracking of global movement of Nigerian Hydro-Carbon and recovery of loss by the Federal Government of Nigeria in the sum of USD9.3billion between 2013 and 2014, with a start-off cost of USD5million and 5% of all sums recovered.
“Payment instruction with reference number NIMASA/2007/DFS/WJ/5.500/VOL.11/341 dated April 2014 showed that the firm was paid the sum of $4,523,809.52 (Four million five hundred and twenty three thousand eight hundred and nine dollar fifty two cents only) net as professional fees from Zenith Bank (UK) Dollar account.
“The naira equivalent of this amount was N741,904,761.28 at an exchange rate of N164 to a dollar as of that date.
“No evidence of recovery of either part or the entire sum of the 9.3 Billion US Dollars was presented as at the time of the Periodic Check in February 2018, despite the huge amount of money already paid to this effect.
“It is instructive to note that details of the transaction leading to the loss of USD9.3 billion to the Federal Government which only came to audit attention through the review of the letter from the agency to the legal firm so as to ascertain what could have transpired, resulting in such a huge loss was not presented for audit.
“Ordinarily, the firm should have deducted its fees from the amounts recovered for the FGN, and not receive fees in advance in lieu of the recoveries.
