HOUSE of Representatives yesterday at plenary mandated the committees on Ports, Harbor and Waterways as well as Public Procurement to investigate the $56 million contract for the dredging of Calabar Port Channel awarded in 2006.
This was sequel to its unanimous adoption of a motion sponsored by Daniel Effiong Asuquo (PDP, Cross River) who told the parliament that the contract remains uncompleted even after the Federal Government awarded another contract in November 2014 at N20 billion to complete the project.
Specifically, House said the contract was awarded at the initial sum of N3 billion in 1996 but that it was later re-awarded in 2006 at $56 million, which is about N11 billion naira.
Asuquo said the contract, signed by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) and the Calabar Channel Management, was for the port to be dredged up to 9.8 metres.
“Although the 9.8 metres has not been achieved, NPA had already paid the full contract sum of N20 billion, the contractor is no longer on site” the lawmaker said, adding that the South-South, South-East and North-Central, which stand to benefit from the dredging have been denied the opportunity.
“The non-completion of the project for about two decades, was putting great pressure on Lagos ports as well as throwing up huge logistical challenges and needless costs as cargoes meant for Calabar Port are routed through the already congested Lagos ports.”
The lower chamber therefore asked the committees to investigate the processes that led to the award of the contract “to a company that does not seem to have the competence and equipment to properly execute the contract.”
Meanwhile, an attempt by a lawmaker, Goodluck Opiah (PDP, Imo) to stop adoption of the motion was not successful.
He had argued that the matter was before a court, but Speaker Yakubu Dogara who presided over the session said the court case would not be affected by the probe.
In another development, House of Representatives yesterday mandated its committees on Commerce and Industry to make a review and ascertain the nature of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Nigeria and the European Union (EU).
The resolution was the outcome of a motion which called for caution in the implementation of the EPA between the EU and Nigeria, sponsored by Segun Adekola who noted that there has been a recent push by the EU to expand its economic relations with Nigeria through the implementation of the EPA, which has been resisted by operator of sectors in the Nigerian economy.
With The Guardian
