ABUJA – By Olusegun Lawrence No fewer than 282 vessels have disappeared from Nigerian Ports terminals, the Senate has said.
With this revelation, the country stands to loose about N200 billion from the N600 billion projected revenue for this year from the ports.
Senator Hope Uzodinma, who chairs the Senate committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff, disclosed this on Monday during a public hearing on smuggling of goods into Nigeria.
“We want Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) to come and explain what happened to 282 vessels that disappeared from terminals.
“We have names of the releasing officers. This shows that there is no security at the terminal.
“If you go by the projected revenue of the service for this year which is approximately N600 billion, it means that the service will loose about N200 billion in revenue this year alone.
“The report has it that over $15 billion or N4.35 trillion worth of goods are smuggled into the country each year through sea port.
“The story is the same in our international Airports put together, it means that goods worth over N7 trillion are smuggled into the country each year.
“The frightening thing here is that the annual turover in the hand of smugglers is more than our annual budget,” Senator Uzodinma said.
Meanwhile, the Senate has summoned the Managing Director of Sovereign Fund Investment Authority, Uche Orji, to appear before it on Thursday, threatening to order his arrest should he fail to appear.
