For failing to follow due process in the agreement between the ministry of finance and Single Window Technology Limited, the House of Representatives has urged the federal government to nullify the whole concession process.
This was part of the recommendations contained in the report of the House ad-hoc committee which investigated the concession of the Nigeria Customs Integrated Information Services to the Single Windows Systems by the ministry of finance.
The Deputy Leader, Hon Leo Ogor-led committee recommended further that the Nigerian Customs Service should take over the operation, supervision and management of? the system at the expiration of the Webb Fontaine contract at the end of December this year.
Also, the lawmakers called for the prosecution of all government officials and promoters of the Single Windows System Technology ‘who participated in circumventing our laws.’
The House of Representatives investigated the concession agreement after approving a motion on the illegal concession agreement between the Federal Ministry of Finance and Single Window Technology Systems Limited and the federal ministry of finance which they said did not follow due process.
Ogor explained while presenting the report that the deal breached due process because the agreement was not submitted to the Federal Executive Council(FEC) for approval contrary to section 3 of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) Act 2005.
He noted that the federal ministry of finance neither carried out due diligence search of the company to ascertain the company’s financial, managerial and technical competence as required by law, nor did they provide any technical agreement to back up its decision.
Also, the concession was never advertised in the media as required by the Act setting up the ICRC, while the incorporation of the SWST was irregular “in view of the false declaration of Ms Yoada Salesha who is a Briton and Ethiopian but claimed to be a Nigerian.”
Going further, the committee also called for the immediate amendment of the pre-shipment Inspection of Import Act 1996? to provide for destination inspection and procedure for withdrawal from the CISS account
The report also sought for some sections of the Customs and Excise Management Act to be amended to grant the Nigerian Customs Service(NCS) powers to operate and manage the Single Window system in Nigeria and/or establishment of a legal and regulatory framework for Nigeria Customs Integrated Information System which shall be an automated and electronic system for processing commercial importation.