NEPC, NIMASA clash over 10% freight levies

A dispute has arisen between the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) regarding 10% freight levies owed to NEPC since 1992.

The disagreement between the NEPC and NIMASA over 10% freight levies was brought to light on Monday in Abuja, as both agencies presented their cases at an investigative hearing convened by the House of Representatives’ Joint Committees on Commerce, Maritime Safety Education and Administration, and Legislative Compliance.

Chairman of the joint committees, Hon. Ahmed Munir, observed that the non-remittance of levies over several decades has severely hindered the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), rendering it unable to effectively carry out its statutory responsibilities.

he partly attributed, to the failure of NIMASA to pay the ten percent freight levies to NEPC.

Also, the Deputy Chairman, Committee on Maritime Safety Education and Administration, Hon. Uduak Odudoh, said there was a need for both NIMASA and NEPC to present their Acts before the lawmakers to be critically examined, since there were perceived inconsistencies expressed by NIMASA.

Speaking at the investigative hearing, the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of NEPC, Nonye Ayeni, said that NIMASA refused to pay the 10 percent freight levies due to NEPC.

Her words: “From 1992 NIMASA failed to pay any levies. No efforts to get them to pay the 10% freight levies yielded any fruitful results.

“Former President Muhammadu Buhari ordered them to pay. They never responded. The Attorney General of the Federation also drew the attention of NIMASA to the payment, no compliance.

“We wrote to the Ministry of Finance, we still haven’t received any payment from NIMASA. The Nigerian Export Promotion Council has not been able to perform its statutory responsibilities because it is financially handicapped. So far, only 273 exports have been carried out. NEPC could have done more.”

However, the Executive Director of Finance and Administration, NIMASA, Chidi Ofodile, said NIMASA, as an agency created by an established act of government, was consistently obeying government laws.

He explained that the Act establishing NIMASA did not make provision for any 10 percent freight levies to be paid to NEPC.

Ofodile noted: “NIMASA, during its creation, did not inherit any liability from the Nigerian Maritime Authority (NMA) to be paid to NEPC. NIMASA Act is very clear. It does not indicate that any payment should be made to NEPC. Doing so is going against the law. “

He further emphasized that both NIMASA and NEPC were established by Acts of Parliament, and thus urged the lawmakers to carefully examine the relevant provisions of the law governing the two agencies.

The lawmakers, instead, advised both agencies to pursue legal action in court to obtain a definitive interpretation of the Acts establishing NIMASA and NEPC.