House Minority Caucus Wants EFCC to Probe NPA

By Adedayo Akinwale

The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately investigate the suspended Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms. Hadiza Bala-Usman, over alleged unremitted N165 billion operating surplus.

President Muhammadu Buhari had on Thursday night approved the request of Minister of Transport to suspend the NPA boss and approved setting up.of a panel to probe the management of the agency.

Bala-Usman had however denied the allegation of unremitted funds and requested that the Chief of Staff requests the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, which is the statutory custodian of status of payment to the CRF, to provide the true position of the Authorities’ remittances to the CFR.

The minority caucus, in a statement issued on Monday by its Leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, said such alleged economic crime against the nation should not be left to an administrative panel of enquiry, but committed to an anti-graft agency for independent investigation.

The caucus described the latest graft allegation as another sad commentary on the brimming corruption in the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.

It decried the alleged looting of such stupendous resources at a time the country was writhing in the throes of worsening insecurity.

The caucus expressed concerns that by committing the allegation against NPA to an administrative panel, political manipulations and partisan influences had taken precedence over what should have been a system-wide investigation into an alleged monumental fraud.

The caucus stressed that as representatives of the suffering people of Nigeria, it was worried that such alleged monumental looting was going on at a time terrorists, bandits, unknown gunmen and criminal militias were reigning supreme across the length and breath of the country and life had consequently become the cheapest article in the country.

It pointed out that the APC administration had crippled the national economy and brought untold hardship and suffering to Nigerians and therefore demanded more drastic steps by anti-graft agencies to recover the alleged stolen funds as well as prosecute all involved

The caucus said it was a shame that a party that came to power with the promise of fighting corruption, building the economy and fighting insecurity had ended up destroying whatever gains that were made before it came to power.