The Senate has threatened to issue warrant of arrest on the Managing Director of Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Rabiu Yadudu over failure to remit N1.5 billion Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMeT) Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) for the past six years.
The Chairman of Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, who issued this threat, explained that the committee had asked the Managing Director of FAAN to appear before it to respond to the allegation of non-remitttamce of NeMeT 10 percent from landing charges.
The query reads: “Examination of the agency’s approved Internally Generated Revenue and expenditure budget revealed that Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) owed a total of N1.5 billion to the agency unpaid areas of 10 percent landing charges.”
Responding to the allegation, NiMeT said: “Efforts have been made by NiMet management to recover the outstanding amount, such efforts include reconcilation meetings with FAAN and discussion with the management of FAAN, we have received assurance from them that the payment of the debt will commence in 2018.We have been reliably informed that FAAN has included the amount vowed in their 2018 budget.”
NiMET had in 2010 wrote to demand for the debt when the debt was about N900 million. The first correspondence was written to Honorable Minister of Aviation on 26th of August, 2010 .
In the letter, NiMeT had complained that since August 2008 when FAAN engaged the services of MAEVIS for the collection of its revenue, including landing charges, nothing has been done.
The engagement of MAEVIS was expected to make it easier for FAAN to remit NiMeT’s share of landing charge, but this did not happens, the unremitted 10 percent landing charges for NiMeT has continued till now.
In another letter written on March 5, 2012, NIMET had informed the Managing Director of FAAN of amount owed the agency and another letter was written to the Managing Director of FAAN on same debt on 8th November, 2012 which has increased to N1.098 billion.
As at November 28, 2014, the debt owed by FAAN to NiMeT had increased to N1.5 billion and another letter was written to FAAN from NiMeT on 9 March, 2015 on same debt .
The final letter was written on 5th October, 2017
