Reps probe NEPZA over illegal spending

The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is investigating alleged extra-budgetary spending at the Nigeria Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA).

The committee, chaired by Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers), said the report of the Auditor General of the Federation 2013, raised five queries against NEPZA, which had to do with financial impropriety.

One of the queries said NEPZA spent N40 million for conferences and seminars without authorization and another N14 million for foreign engagements without due process.

The query also said NEPZA lodged $20,000 government funds in an individual’s account against financial regulations. But the committee noted that the agency immediately transferred the said amount to government account, when it discovered there was an error in the transaction.

Another query said NEPZA paid N17million to the Ministry of Trade and Investment as contribution during the tenure of former minister, Olusegun Aganga. The lawmakers demanded details of the contribution.

The Managing Director of NEPZA, Gbenga Kuye, said the allegations were not true and that he would provide all relevant documents on the transactions.

The committee therefore constituted a 3-man panel to reconcile differences between the auditor general’s office and NEPZA.

The panel is headed by Solomon Maren (PDP, Plateau), while Solomon Adepoju (APC, Oyo) and Abdulrahman Shuaibu (APC, Adamawa) are members. The session was adjourned to May 8.