By EMMAN OVUAKPORIE & BEN AGANDE
ABUJA — A mind boggling fraud inquiry is underway in the House of Representatives over a controversial concession of huge import and export clearing contract to a dummy firm by the Federal  Ministry of Finance, which Reps say stand to drain the national treasury of over $30 billion.

The House yesterday authorised public hearings and broad investigations on how the huge contract was awarded, setting aside Public Procurement stipulations as well as current national platform on import and export services.

For the next 15 to 20 years, Single Window Systems and Technology Limited, a company allegedly with no official address, will operate a new National Single Window, NSW, platform—a crucial technology-based import and export documentation services which already exists and for which the government has spent N300 billion.

According to members of the House of Reps, who were well informed about the deal, the firm hurriedly set up by questionable promoters will in return introduce extra charges on importation, while also collecting an unprecedented tax on exports too.

Reps, however, said the job which was primarily that of the Nigeria Customs Service, was given to the firm in a non-transparent process that totally breached procurement rules, and would tremendously hurt the economy.

“When we start taxing exports for our kind of economy, it will kill manufacturing and destroy jobs,” said Yakubu Dogara,” a member from Bauchi state, who brought the issue to the attention of the House.

In details and scope, the planned investigations may only be surpassed by the 2007 inconclusive $16 billion power probe by the House.

In a motion that was unanimously supported by the members,. Dogara, a former chairman of the House committee on Customs, gave details of the purported deal to buttress a rare direct accusation of fraud and misconduct, from the lawmakers to the executive arm.

The current platform used, backed by a national data center, telecom and IT infrastructure, has already drawn N300 billion of federal funds spent on Customs officers’ training and outsourcing to specialist firms.

While that process is to run till July 2012, the Federal Ministry of Finance awarded in “absolute secrecy” a new concession for the same functions to a “firm not known anywhere beyond its residential office accommodation in Asokoro.”

The company, which is not engaged in a supplying service in question anywhere in the world, not even in Nigeria, according to the resolution of the House, will now charge one percent Freight on Board(FOB) on imports and exports in the country.

Reps said the move will promote diversion of Nigeria-bound goods to other countries for the fear of charges, after which the products will later be smuggled in without resulting in loss of federal revenue.

“For years, this nation has lost a lot of money through illegal concessions and waivers and this investigation should be able to reverse that trend,” said Farouk Lawan, a member from Kano state.

The house adhoc committee for the probe is to be named later, with references to establish the terms and circumstances of the award. Officials of the ministry and the involved companies are to give testimonies.

Attempts to get a spokesman on behalf of the ministry of Finance proved abortive.