The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions has summoned the Managing Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority, Hadiza Bala-Usman, over the non-payment of about N1.1 billion gratuity of 130 retired workers of the agency.
The Chairman, Secretary and other members of the NPA board, as well as its management staff, are also expected to appear before the Senate panel.
The Chairman of the Senate panel on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Ayo Akinyelure, who issued the directive on Thursday, said the committee observed that by the NPA’s refusal to pay the gratuity, it has tampered with the implementation of the 2018 budget of the agency.
He said the agency had “shortchanged innocent Nigerians who retired from the services of NPA after a 35 years meritorious service to the Nation”.
A petition was brought before the Senate Panel by one Isa Usman Kunini and three retired workers on behalf of 126 other ex-officers of the NPA on December 17th, 2020, over the non-payment of a significant portion of their gratuity by the NPA after their retirement in 2018.
The retired workers petitioned the Senate to look into the matter and ask the NPA management to include the sum of N1,160, 732, 309.43, being the outstanding amount that accrued to the ex-officers in the 2020 budget, for immediate payment.
However, the Chairman of the Senate panel condemned the action of the NPA management and warned that his committee would no longer sit back and allow any government agency alter the implementation of the budget duly passed by the National Assembly.
He said that apart from the MD, the Chairman, and Secretary of the NPA board must appear before his Committee on the 4th February, 2021 at 1pm.