JONAS EZIEKE, Abuja
An Ad-hoc Committee of the House of Representatives investigating and appraising the benefits accruing to the federal government from all concessionaire-operated ports including air and sea terminals and related inbound and outbound shipping activities from 2006 to 2025 has given all the affected government agencies the last warning to appear before it and submit requested documents
Chairman of the House Ad-hoc Committee Hon.Davidson Akinlayo and other committee members gave the warning during a press briefing on Friday at the National Assembly in Abuja
It would be recalled that the House Ad-hoc Committee was inaugurated on February 3, 2026 by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas to among other things examine the terms and conditions of concession agreements entered into from 2006 to 2025 and to carry out an assessment of revenue flows, remittances, and other financial benefits accruing to the Federal Government and its agencies.
The panel is further empowered to review the compliance with contractual, regulatory, and safety obligations by concessionaires; appraise the infrastructural development, operational efficiency, service quality, and labour issues; identify challenges, gaps, and systemic weaknesses within the concession framework; and formulate clear and practicable recommendations to improve policy, legislation, and future concession arrangements.
The lawmaker said that the investigative panel was constituted in response to growing national concern over the management, performance, transparency, and value outcomes of concession arrangements governing some of Nigeria’s most strategic public assets.
These federal government assets including the airports seaports, airports, terminals, and jetties he pointed out are not ordinary commercial facilities.
They are sovereign economic gateways, national security infrastructure, and critical enablers of trade, mobility, and development.
According to the committee helsman, since the exercise began, members of this panel have approached their mandate with the highest sense of duty, responsibility, professionalism, and commitment to the national interest.
He however, lamented that most of the invited heads of government agencies have refused to honour the panel’s invitation and have also refused to submit requested documents on the investigation.
He said: “We have been transparent and very democratic in the exercise of our powers and have restrained ourselves from high handedness.
“Unfortunately, more than one month into this onerous assignment, we have been faced with the daunting challenge of compelling relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government to appear and provide the necessary and required information to enable the Committee complete its work within the stipulated time.
Although some stakeholders have been very cooperative”.
The House Ad-hoc Committee restated the commitment and preparedness to fulfil its mandate as assigned by the House and sounded a word of warning to heads of MDAs and their management not to constitute a clog in the wheel of the panel’s progress in carrying out this assignment.
The lawmaker and other committee members expressed displeasure noting that some of the important agencies have on several occasions deliberately refused to honour the invitation of the Committee for no just cause.
The investigative panel he added is worried that some of the agencies that have so far appeared before the investigative panel could not submit the required documents.
They accused the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) of this infraction for having appeared before panel but disappointedly failed to comply fully with the committee’s requests.
The House Ad-hoc Committee said that it has given the last warning to the chief executive officers and heads of the following agencies to change their attitude towards the committee or have themselves to blame.
They are the Nigerian Ports Authority, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), NIMASA, NLNG, INTELS and Julius Berger Plc.
The Ad-hoc Committee Chairman Hon.Akinlayo sternly warned the heads of these agencies that the panel will no longer tolerate contempt of the parliament adding that they have resolved to invoke the statutory constitutional provisions to compel any erring CEO/head to appear before it.
He had quoted from the provisions of sections 89 and 129 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (As amended) which provides a list of guidelines and powers that are to assist the legislature in carrying out its oversight functions.
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