The Senate Special Ad Hoc Committee on Alleged Misused of Revenue, Under Remittance and Other Fraudulent Activities in the Collection, Accounting, Remittance and Expenditure of IGR by Revenue Generating Agencies has invited the Inspector General of Police and the Director General of Directorate of State Security, DSS to assist the Federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry as well as the Bureau of Public Enterprise BPE in ejecting the concessionaire of the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, LITFC, AULIC Nigeria Limited as well as recovery of about N6.5 billion revenue accruing from the company over a 9 year period.
Senator Solomon Adeola,(APC, Lagos West) the chairman of the Senate Ad hoc Committee gave the directive over the weekend for the IGP and DG- DSS to be invited to assist in recovery of the 322 hectares multi billion naira complex and the huge debt due in the N40billion lease fees following submissions to the Ad Hoc Committee by the Director General of BPE Mr. Alex Okoh and the National Council of Privatization, NCP.
Mr. Okoh said the concession agreement to AULIC Nigeria Limited was revoked in early September by the Federal Government following the inability of the concessionaire to remit about N6.5 billion accruing to the Federal Government over a 9 year period adding however that all efforts to eject the concessionaire including the use of the Divisional Police at the complex and EFCC has proved abortive.
“The concessionaire uses thugs and compromised local Police and this has made his ejection impossible. We reported the matter to EFCC and the concessionaire was arrested but later released. But so far he is still operating the complex and collecting revenue without remitting a dime to Federal Government or paying due balance on the lease fees.” the BPE DG stated.
He said after the initial fees of N200million paid by the concessionaire in 2007 and another N12million, it has not paid a dime to the FG with revenue of N6.5billion outstanding adding that the concessionaire has bastardized the trade fair complex with hospitality and other real estate business without approved plans on water ways springing up all over the complex.
Senator Adeola said it was shocking that an individual/corporate could operate so lawlessly and withheld Federal government revenue without any remedy while contravening a government revocation order of his concessionaire agreement.
“What we need to do at this point is to recover the Trade Fair Complex from the concessionaire and subsequently pursue the issue of N6.5 billion unremitted Federal Government Revenue. Since the local police cannot handle the ejection with the concessionaire still operating and collecting revenue using all manner of tactics including thuggery, then we are inviting the IGP and DG-DSS to address this illegal challenge on the authority of the Federal Government and proffer a way forward. I am surprise that anyone can flagrantly operate as if he is above the law and the Government” Senator Adeola stated.
The IGP, DG- DSS, the DG of BPE and the NCP are to appear on Wednesday November 1, 2017.
