Senate issues 48-hour ultimatum to NIMASA to provide evidence on $5m legal fees – Nexus News
Senate Committee on Public Accounts (SPAC), yesterday, gave a 48-hour deadline to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to provide documents on payment of $5 million legal fees.
The panel had summoned the management of NIMASA to state why the money was paid for service allegedly not rendered.
At resumption of the hearing, the representative of NIMASA, Olamide Olusanya, informed the committee that the case was in court. But the committee declined the submission, requesting the agency to make presentation on information at its disposal on payment of the fees.
The official informed lawmakers that the agency was ordered by the then Attorney General of the Federation to make the payment.
When asked if the Presidency directed the agency to pay the fees, Olusanya stated that there was no such order. He, however, said there was a letter from the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administration authorizing the payment.
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The chairman, also, ordered the agency to present documents connected to the payment by tomorrow, so that the committee can take a final decision on the matter.
He said: “We need the detail of the payment. Go back to your archives and bring it.”
Another member of the committee, Senator Abdullahi Danbaba, stated that there was no basis for making the payment, advising that the money should be recovered from law firm.
