Reps to Probe Contract for Dredging of Calabar Channel

Reps to Probe Contract for Dredging of Calabar Channel
BY JOSEPH KINGSTON, CALABAR

The House Committee on Customs and Exciseis to set up a probe panel to investigate the abandonment of contract award by the Federal Government for the dredging of Calabar water channel.
The Vice Chairman, House of Representatives, Hon. Chinda Ogundu, disclosed this to newsmen in Calabar while on the inspection of Customs Area Command and the Calabar sea port.
He declared “we shall investigate the way and manner the contracts were awarded and why it was abandoned.This would help us find a lasting solution to the consistent perennial problem associated with the dredging of the Calabar sea port.
“We are in Calabar precisely to the Customs and Excise area command to exercise our constitutional role and other oversight functions in other to have first hand information on the problems of this all important Federal government agency”.
On whether the committee was satisfied with the explanations from the Comptroller of Customs, he said, “you will agree with him that today custom is better than what it used to be. We have witnessed a lot of improvement in Customs especially as it concerns revenue generations.
“For instance, the man said that in 2011, this Area Command exceeded its revenue mandate. It is worthy of commendation. All they are asking is that the Federal government should provide them with better equipment so that they perform better.
”I believe that as soon as the committee gets back to the National Assembly, we will be able to put a lot of mechanism in place to enable the officers and men of the Customs and Excise perform better. It is not enough for us to sit in Abuja and take decisions especially when it concerns the budget. We need to know your problems.”
Hon Ogundu said he was satisfied with the revenue generation of the Calabar/Akwa Ibom area command.
Earlier, the Area Deputy Comptroller of Customs for Cross River and Akwa Ibom, Mr.Gwani Maitizumahs who represented the Comptroller, Mr. Mundu.H.M , had said the command was able to collect N75.6 million Naira as excise due to epileptic production in the only factory producing in the area.
Also he said that the area was able to generate N25.3 billion exceeding its target for 2011 which is the first time in so many years.
He however, enumerated some of the challenges inhibiting the command to include non dredging of Calabar water channels to allow bigger ships to navigate to Calabar with cargo, low utilization of Free Trade Zone and lack of accommodation.
Mr. Maitizumahs also told the House Committee that all the three borders lacked security monitoring equipment to track down smugglers and other related crime in the border.
The House Committee later visited the Free Zone, Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort and the Calabar Sea Port before departing to Onne Port in River State.