THE Senate Joint Committee on Customs, Excise and Tarrif and Marine Transport has raised the alarm about a plot spearheaded by a state chief executive to discredit the noble and patriotic duties of Committee members aimed at ending the vexed issue of revenue leakage at the nation’s Ports.

The committee disclosed this in a statement issued by its media consultant, Hon Duro Meseko.

According to Committe chairman, Senator Hope Uzodinma, the governor working in concert with some federal agencies under probe has perfected plans to invade some media organisations with concocted stories aimed at ridiculing and painting members of the committee and by extension the Senate as corrupt.

He said the media would be awash with those stories any moment from now.

Uzodinma said: “We wish to draw the attention of Nigerians to a plan by a governor, working with some disgruntled federal agencies currently under probe over their role in the infractions at the nation’s ports which had cost the Federal Government over N30 trillion loss in revenues to launch a massive propaganda in some sections of the media aimed at the discrediting the good works of the Committee.

“Our investigation reveal that  a huge amount of money has been voted for this dirty job. We make bold to say that our Committee has the express mandate of the Senate to investigate these unfortunate infractions at the ports with a view to blocking revenue leakages and shoring up the nation’s revenue profile at the ports and we will never succumb to cheap blackmail or subterfuge of any sort from any quarters no matter how highly placed.

“It may interest Nigerians to know that our investigation has led the Federal Government to recover not less than N120 billion from some defaulting agencies and more money is being recovered as we speak.”