The Senate through its Committee on Public Accounts has threatened to issue warrant of arrest on the Managing Director of Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Rabiu Yadudu, over alleged failure to remit N1.5 billion Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMeT) Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for the past six years.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Matthew Urhoghide (PDP Edo South), issued the threat Friday following the failure of managing director of FAAN to appear before the committee to respond to the allegation of non-remittance of NiMeT’s 10 percent from landing charges.
The chairman said: “We have asked FAAN MD to appear before us and he refused to show up. We will be compelled to issue warrant of arrest on him if he doesn’t show up at next sitting.
“It is an insult to us for him not to appear before us. His action is clearly uncivilised which may lead to being declared as somebody not responsible to hold public office.
The committee relied on the 2016 Auditor General’s of the Federation query which accused the FAAN of indebtedness 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 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, 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 Hon Minister of Aviation on 26th of August, 2010.
