HURIWA Seeks Arrest of NIPC Officials
A Pro-Democracy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has asked the Finance Minister and the coordinator of the Nigerian economy,Mrs NgoziOkonjo-Iweala, to name and prosecute the erring officials in the Nigerian Investments Promotion Commission (NIPC), who allegedly duped Nigeria of nearly $20 billion USD in four years through fake waivers.
The Rights group said it means little or nothing if the nation is alerted of serious leakages in the revenue generating agencies of the federation through the fraudulent activities of some civil servants in the NIPC, but only for these same officials to remain not only anonymous, but on their seats without suffering commensurate judicial sanctions for their economic crimes against the nation. The Rights group said allowing the corrupt and decadent status quo to remain, will only give room to impunity which is completely antithetical to democracy and the rule of law.
Recall that the coordinatingminister of the economy, disclosed that the federal government lost huge revenue to tax holidays, fraudulently granted companies by officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC).
The minister’s disclosure was contained in a recent letter to NIPC Executive Secretary, Mrs. Saratu Umar, which was reported by a national daily on Sunday.
“The purpose of this letter is to appraise you on apparent abuse in the grant of Pioneer Status (tax holiday) to companies in the country by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), leading to decline in tax revenues,” wrote the minister in the letter which was copied the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Deziani Alison-Madueke, and her Industries, Trade and Investment counterpart, Olusegun Aganga.
