Nigerdock Is A Gun Runner
By Tobs Agbaegbu
Monday, September 01, 2008
Njidda Ahmed Gella, member of the House of Representatives from Adamawa State, and chairman, House Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation, sheds light on the committee’s allegation of gun running against Nigerdock Nigeria PLC, in an exclusive interview with Tobs Agbaegbu, senior associate editor. Excerpts:
Newswatch: Your committee visited Nigerdock recently and came out with the allegation that the company is using its premises to sell arms and ammunition to the Niger Delta militants. Niger Dock management reacted by accusing your committee of demanding for bribe. Tell us what actually happened.
Gella: We went to Nigerdock to do our oversight function based on the constitutional provision that we can go to any place, where government has an interest. Nigerdock is one of the places where the federal government has an investment. The place has been sold and privatised, under certain Sales Purchase Agreement, SPA. The SPA we saw clearly showed that the group which bought Nigerdock has so far only bought 51 percent. The remaining 49 percent is government investment, so I wanted us as a committee to see really, if they are improving upon the ones they have bought, so that government can float the next shares to sell the remaining percentages, as government has no business participating in such investments. That was why we went but unfortunately, we were refused entry into their premises.
They told us that they have bought the place and that we have no business entering into a private land. Infact, they used the word trespass, that we have no business trespassing into the place. We did not go there in the first place to investigate any allegation of gun running. It was their entire behavior that made us to suspect that such a thing may be taking place there. In any case, we have heard of such an allegation against Nigerdock before. Recall that former President Olusegun Obasanjo had cause in the past to say that he suspects that certain suspicious activities take place there, whereby they used to go into high seas, offload goods, bring into the place and the goods finally find their way into the country.
The people are trying to take that place into an Export Free-zone. They cannot do that because government investment is there. We still have government interest there, and so far, the Snake Island has not been declared Export Free Zone.
Newswatch: Uptill now, you still feel strongly that illegal things that are detrimental to the interest of Nigeria take place at Snake Island.
Gella: My suspicion is very strong. And since we made the allegation of gun running in the place, you can see that activities of the militants in the Niger Delta are fast reducing. Tension is reduced there, so clearly, these Nigerdock owners must be party to the illegal and other dirty arms business in Niger Delta area.
Newswatch: It appears then that members of your committee got some tips on the subject before visiting Nigerdock.
Gella: Certainly, there were lots of petitions. I will show you a particular one from some concerned Nigerians who know about activities of the people there.
Newswatch: What do you have to say about the allegation that your committee members demanded bribe from Nigerdock.
Gella: Whoever is making the allegation must be out of his mind. No such thing took place. You see, out of the 13 members that went to Nigerdock, none had any visible discussion with the owners or managers of Snake Island. They were very hostile to us and never allowed us access to the place. We acted like gentle and honourable men, and left the place. Before we even came, they had littered the place with the notice of motion asking the court to give an injunction, restraining us from carrying out any oversight function there. It was not an order of any sort.
I strongly feel also that the Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, is colluding or conspiring with them. This is because all discussions I had with the BPE earlier featured in the reasons the management of Nigerdock gave for stopping us from visiting the place.
Newswatch: What reasons did they give?
Gella: They said that we should give them more time, that they were not prepared to receive us yet. They cannot tell us that because we can go to any place, any time we choose, in the discharge of our duties.
Newswatch: You mean, BPE told them not to allow your committee to come to Snake Island?
Gella: It was clear. We saw the hand of BPE there. What we discussed with BPE featured in the court papers they served us. That discussion took place on the 28th of July, 2008 and we went there on July 29, 2008, a day after. We were served that writ of summons from the court on the 29th. We met with BPE earlier to tell them that we were about to go to Nigerdock on an oversight function and that they should send their representatives there to guide us in asking relevant questions and seeing the right places. The BPE sent their staff quite alright and they mainly stood to watch us standing outside. We were shocked to find out that the things we discussed with the BPE were the same things Nigerdock used against us. It was a clear case of conspiracy on the part of BPE
Newswatch: What happened when you visited BPE that found itself into the hand of Nigerdock which you said was used against the committee.
Gella: We discussed and BPE said the place has been sold and that they no longer have a hand in the place. It was the same line of argument, almost verbatim used by Nigerdock lawyers in the court summons we saw. It was the language of BPE. Even when they claimed that the place has been sold, we asked them to account for the 49 percent of the money, the equivalent of about N1.2 billion. BPE admitted that only about N431,000 of the total money from the sale of Nigerdock has been paid, since 2004 when it was privatised. We want to know what happens to the rest of the money, why it was not paid.
Newswatch: It was alleged that your committee was received at their Victoria Island office and it was there that Nigerdock’s offer of about N400,000 was rejected by your team.
Gella: We only went to Snake Inland where we were not allowed in. We did not see them at any other place. We settled all our bills ourselves from our allowances for the trip. In any case, there is no member of the House that cannot pay his bills by himself.
Newswatch: Did you make a formal report to the House thereafter?
Gella: Yes, and that is why the House is inviting the service chiefs to come. But unfortunately, this will have to wait for some time because like the service chiefs explained, they are new and will have to take charge properly before coming to see us in the house.
Newswatch: What concerns service chiefs in this matter?
Gella: We are talking about security issues. That place is not secured. Arms are leaking into the Niger Delta from there, so the service chiefs will have to do their investigations. Nigerdock is vulnerable. The entire place is manned by foreigners. All that they are interested in is to make money. They can even go into bunkering. We are asking government to use its security network to investigate illegal deals going on at Snake Island, owned by Nigerdock.
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