The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has expressed concern over the non-utilisation of an N84m online payment portal designed to streamline revenue collection from Nigeria’s foreign missions.
The committee, chaired by Bamidele Salam, issued a 60-day ultimatum to the Ministry of Finance and the Accountant General of the Federation to fully implement the Automation of Foreign Currency Collection system.
The revelation came to light during a committee hearing on Tuesday, where the Accountant General, Mrs Oluwatoyin Sakirat Maiden, disclosed that File Solution Limited was awarded the contract for the automation project in April 2021.
Despite the completion of the project and its launch in May 2023, the system remains inactive.
“The Automation of Foreign Currency Collection portal was launched on May 25th, 2023, by the immediate past Minister of Finance but was never put into use as of 5th June, 2024. Our office is in the process of obtaining approval from the Ministry of Finance to deploy the software which has been tested. Discussion is ongoing with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide a list of Foreign Mission for pilot purposes” explained Maiden.
The committee was incensed by the delay, noting the potential loss of revenue due to the non-implementation of the technology.
The lawmakers expressed frustration over the lack of transparency in foreign revenue collection and urged immediate action to address the issue.
The AGF attributed the delay to the ongoing process of obtaining approval from the Ministry of Finance to deploy the software.
She also mentioned discussions with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to identify suitable foreign missions for a pilot implementation.
The committee, however, was unimpressed by the explanations and insisted on the immediate deployment of the system within 60 days.
It also demanded a detailed report of the gross revenue generated by all foreign missions in the past five years.