Senate threatens to declare FAAN MD unfit for public office over failure to remit N1.5b NiMeT IGR

Adekunle Adesuji,Abuja

 

Senate has threatened to declare Managing Director of Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN),  Rabiu Yadudu over failure to remit N1.5 billion Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMeT) Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) for the past six years.

 

 

The Chairman of Senate Public Accounts Committee, Senator Matthew Urhoghide issue threat following the failure of Managing Director of FAAN to appear before the Committee to respond to the allegation of non-remitttamce of NeMeT 10 percent from landing charges.

 

 

 

The Chairman said, ” We have asked FAAN to appear before us and refuse to show up. We will be compelled to issue warrant of Arrest on FAAN Managing Director. It is an insult to us not to appear before us, the action of FAAN Managing Director is uncivilized.

 

 

“If he does not care, we will declare him that he does not responsible to hold public office. FAAN failed to up with their N1.5 billion financial obligations.”

 

The Committee relied on the 2016 Auditor General’s of the Federation query which accused the FAAN of indebtness of N1.5 billion to NIMET as unpaid areas of 10 percent landing charges.

 

 

The query reads, ” Examination of the agency’s approved Internally Generated Revenue and Expenditure budget revealed that Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) owed a total of N1.5 billion to the agency unpaid areas of 10 percent landing charges.”

 

 

But, NiMeT in its response said, ” Efforts have been made by NiMet management to recover  the outstanding amount, such efforts include reconcilation meetings with FAAN and discussion with the Management of FAAN, we have received assurance from them that the payment of the debt will commence in 2018.

 

“We have been reliably informed that FAAN  has included the amount vowed in their 2018 budget.”

 

 

However, up till the time of filing this report FAAN is yet to remit the amount owed NiMet.

 

 

Our correspondent reliably gathered that NiMET had been written since 2010 to demand for the debt when the debt was about N900 million. The first correspondence was written to Honorable Minister of Aviation on 26th of August, 2010 .

 

 

In the letter, NiMeT complained that since August 2008 when FAAN engaged the services of MAEVIS for the collection of its revenue , including landing charges. The engagement of MAEVIS was expected to make it easier for FAAN to remit NiMeT’s share of landing charges . This did not happens and accumulation of collected but unremitted 10 percent landing charges for NiMeT has continued till now.

 

 

 

In another letter written on March 5, 2012,  NIMET in the letter informed the Managing Director of FAAN of amount owed the agency and another letter was written to FAAN Managing Director on same debt on 8th November, 2012 which has increased to N1.098 billion.

 

As at 28 November, 2014, the debt owed by FAAN to NiMeT had increased to N1.5 billion and another letter was written to FAAN from NiMeT on 9 March, 2015 on same debt .

 

The final letter was written on 5th October, 2017