The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts has been told that 18 terminal operators doing business in Nigeria’s seaports were owing the federal government to the tune of $753 million, as well as N1.61 billion.
Details of the said debts were contained in audit queries raised by office of the Auditor General of the Federation against the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), over the indebtedness of the terminal operators, standing against them as at December 31, 2019.
The said terminal operators were identified to be operating at the Lagos port complex, Tin Can Island Port, Delta Port, Rivers port complex, Onne Port complex and Calabar Port Complex.
The NPA in its response to the Public Accounts Committee confirmed that the original debt owed the government by the port operators stood at $852,093,730.77 and N1, 878,560,509.57, but that out of the amount, $753 million and N1, 609,150,534.32 have not been paid by the terminal operators.
The query listed the terminal operators and their debt profile to include APM Terminal, Apapa ($562.060 million), Apapa Bulk Terminal ($4,621.20), ENL Consortium ($957,020.77), Greenview Development ($20,750,443.65) and Standard Flour Mills ($893.77).
Others are Intels Nigeria Limited, operators of Terminal A at the Delta Ports Complex ($2,429,382.80), Intels Nigeria Limited, operators of Terminal B of the Delta Ports Complex ($4,589,576.75), and Associated Maritime Services ($328,027.64) and Greenleigh Ports Nigeria Limited ($1,734,492.41)
Also on the list were BUA Ports and Terminal Limited ($12,254,424.55), Port and Terminal Operators Nigeria Limited ($107,311,506.46), Brawal Shipping Nigeria Limited ($226,541.72), Intels Nigeria Limited at Onne Port Complex ($430,404.81), Intels Nigeria Limited also at Onne Port ($670,954.72), Intels Nigeria Limited also at the Onne Port ($1,928,250.44), Shoreline Logistics ($1,181,023.57).
