Reps to probe NLNG, NESTLE, others over unpaid Licence Fees

JONAS EZIEKE, Abuja

The Public Accounts Committee, PAC of the House of Representatives has resolved to investigate Nigeria’s Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), NESTLE, and others over non-payment of licences and water used revenue to the Federal government.

The Committee Chaired by Hon. Bamidele Salam took the decision during an interaction of the Committee with the Nigeria Integrated Water Resources Management Commission (NIWRMC) on the investigation into alleged leakages through the Remita platform and substantively non-compliance with standard operating procedures and other related service level agreements in 2023.

In her presentation, the Acting Executive Director of NIWRMC, Mrs. Shakiratu Suleimon indicated some organizations especially NLNG and NESTLE for not being compliant with the payment of borehole licence and water used revenue to the federal government.

According to her, “We give water use licence to boreholes water users, Processing fee for application, Processing fee for renewal and extension of licence, Processing fees for the transfer of licence, Water use charges and Sales of application form.

Responding to the Committee question on how much the commission charged for their licence and the name of the company that received a licence from the commission, she said “Sometimes N2.5 million, N200 thousand, N50 thousand, and N20 thousand based on the needs and Some organization including NESTLE Sagamu didn’t receive a licence because of the lack of bill we don’t have, we try to invade it into the water bill but since the water bill was thrown out, so we are trying to see how we can get our act standing alone like our sister agency and many companies have refused to pay water use charges.

Responding to the Chairman’s question on which regulation empowered the commission to sell licences, she said “We have power from the Minister and he is the one that gave us this delegatory power but some people will not even listen to us.

“We have people owing billions and they refused to listen to us just because of that act”

“Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas owed us over a billion.”

According to the Chairman, “That is the revenue leakage, that was the things we are looking for.”

At the end of the interactive session, the Committee members unanimously agreed that the commission to Provide the Committee with the list of all organizations that owe it for the period, the amount, and evidence of demand that the commission has made a demand on them to make such payment in a comprehensive list from 2015 till date.

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