Speaker, House of Reps, Dimeji Bankole Photo: Sun News Publishing

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House of Representatives on Wednesday raised alarm on the possibility of terrorists infiltrating the country through the activities of the Nigerdock Plc and therefore asked the Federal Government to act now.

Chairman of the Committee on Privatization and Commercialization, Hon Njidda Ahmed Gella told the press after the management of Nigerdock prevented the committee from accessing its premises, that the committee had petitions alleging massive importation of arms and ammunition by militants and other insurgent groups using the company’s facilities.

Nigedock was accused of releasing its facilities for midstream and offshore discharge of cargo, without clearance by any of the security agencies, against the warning of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who wrote a personal letter to the then Minister of Transport on May 22, 2002.

Under the privatization programme, Nigerdock was given to GEC/McDermott Ltd in 2001, a company with Syrian investors, to continue with its primary duties of ship building, repairs and fabrications.
But in an attempt to carry out its oversight functions to know if the Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) that added another 29 per cent to the original 51 per cent was adhered to and whether the Syrians complied with the Post Acquisition Plan, the gates of the company were shut against the committee.
Gella also said that the Committee was in Nigerdock to confirm if truly the premises of the nation’s foremost ship building company was actually being used for illegal activities, importation of arms by militants, exportation on high sea, logistics for illegal oil bunkering, among others.

The committee was, however, shocked to find the gate of Nigerdock, not only locked against them, but a court bailiff was waiting for them to flash a writ of summons, stopping the committee from entering the premises.

“The undated writ was handed to us by a bailiff from the Federal High Court, Lagos. He was definitely waiting for us. When we took a look at the document, it was initiated on 28 July, and we were at Nigerdock on the 29. This is an unfair writ,” the chairman said.
The committee observed to its chagrin that there was no single Nigerian security presence in the premises and the committee was told that since the Syrians took over, no Nigerian journalist had been allowed into the premises.

Members expressed worry that Nigerdock was undermining the security of the nation by ignoring the directives of the Federal Government and allegedly offering its facilities for illegal activities.
“The conduct of Nigerdock management showed that they were involved in unclean business; that they were hiding from the parliament. If not, why should they shut their door against us, more so that government and the people of Nigeria still owned 49 per cent of the shares of the company,” Gella asked.

The committee said when issues that bordered on the security of the nation was at stake, the 1999 Constitution and Order17 (b) of Rule 48 of the House Rules empowered it to look into it.
“As parliamentarians, we will not allow anybody to stop us from carrying out our constitutional duties. Indeed, no court can stop our oversight functions, because the 1999 Constitution was clear on the powers of the National Assembly to investigate,” the chairman said.