By Paul Effiong, Abuja
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Tajudeen Abbas, has inaugurated an ad-hoc committee to investigate and evaluate all benefits accruing to the Federal Government from concessionaires and Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA-operated ports nationwide between 2006 and 2025.
Represented at the inauguration by Mr Loari Kwanoti, the Speaker urged committee members to conduct their work with fairness, courage and objectivity in their engagement with stakeholders.
Mr Abbas said the committee’s findings would guide the 10th House in making far-reaching recommendations to the Federal Government for implementation. He stressed that the assignment went beyond routine oversight, urging lawmakers to probe deeply and ask all necessary questions to determine what worked, what failed and what corrective measures were required to maximise outcomes for the country and its citizens.
According to him, the investigation is intended to promote transparency, integrity and accountability, and to inform Nigerians of the actual benefits, if any, derived from the port concession arrangements and NPA-managed ports during the period under review. He added that the exercise would also identify gaps that may have constrained government revenue, efficiency and service delivery within the maritime sector.
The Speaker charged the committee to rise above partisanship and deliver people-centred recommendations that would strengthen governance and national development, noting that the House expected a report marked by diligence, courage and commitment to the national interest.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee, Mr Akinlayo Kolawole, pledged that the panel would discharge its mandate with professionalism and thoroughness for the benefit of Nigerians. He thanked the Speaker for the confidence reposed in the committee and assured that its work would be guided by transparency, fairness and integrity.
Mr Kolawole said the committee’s primary objective was to ensure that both the Federal Government and the Nigerian people derived maximum value from the port concession programme, urging members to approach the task with seriousness and resolve.
Observers have described the inauguration of the committee as a decisive step towards strengthening transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s ports sector.
