The Senate has berated the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) for spending N738 million to clear abandoned goods at the port.
It condemned the act during the budget defence session by the company’s Managing Director, Usman Mohammed.
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The Committee on Power, Steel Development and Metallurgy, led by Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP-Abia South), stated that it was not comfortable that the TCN used N738 million, about 13 per cent of its budget, to clear goods when Nigerians were in dire need of power supply for business and other activities to grow in the country.
Speaking, Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi (APC-Kaduna North) asked Mohammed whose responsibility it was, between the TCN and contractors, to clear imported goods.
Senator Abaribe who wondered why government should tax itself so much to the extent of frustrating power projects.
“Government is part of the Independent Power Projects. Goods for the National Independent Power Projects (NIPP) arrive in the country ports, government insists on heavy payment of duty.
“Government ends up taxing itself thereby increasing the cost of the projects and its execution. The goods are abandoned for years, some 10 years.
“I think somebody should be asked to explain. The Senate should be told what is going on, he said.”
