House of Representatives has said it was not favourably disposed to the bid by the Federal Government to purchase new scanners for the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS when the 22 old ones procured at the cost $120 million were lying fallow.
The House said it would rather prefer that the old ones be repaired and put to use instead spending another taxpayers money.
Members of the House Committee on Customs and Excise expressed the position at a public hearing, Monday, on the lack of transparency on the transfer of technical know-how from Cotecna Destination Inspection Limited, Societe Generale De Surveillance, to Nigeria Customs Service and Global Scan Systems which led to the collapse of multimillion dollar scanners at Nigeria’s Ports and Border Stations.
Minister of Finance Mrs Zainab Ahmed who was represented by the Director, Home Finance of the Ministry of Finance, Stephen Okon had told the lawmakers that arrangement was being made by the government to procure three scanners for the Customs as a stop gap measure.
He explained that lack of spare parts was responsible for the repairs of the 22 scanners bought for the Nigeria Customs Service in 2006.
According to him, the unavailability of the spare parts was also responsible for the the abandonment of the scanners.
It will be recalled that the 22 scanners were procured by the federal government at the cost of 120 million dollars in 2006 and handed over to Cotecna Destination Inspection Limited, Societe Generale De Surveillance and Global Scan Systems on a build, operate and transfer basis with 7 years contract.
The scanners were however handed over to the Nigeria Customs Service on December 1, 2013.
Speaking, Okon said “at the expiration of the contract in December 2012, they were further extended for a period of six months which ended in June 2013.
Subsequently, the federal government entered into transition agreement commencing from 1st July to 30th November, 2013.”
The Director noted that the then Minister of Finance constituted a transition implementation committee with the mandate to collaborate with the manufacturers of the scanners to conduct an acceptance procedure test on the scanners to make them operational before handing them over to the Customs.
He added that all faults detected were handed over to the service providers to rectify at the end of the exercise.
He however lamented that Global Scan systems failed to fulfil its obligation to fix the faults.
Okon also said despite that, the Customs Service signed a memorandum of understanding with Global Scan system for the provision, operation and management of the scanners, information technology and telecommunication hardware and software training and equipment.
But in response, the representative of Smith Detection, manufacturer of the Scanners, Manoj Jagtiani said spare parts for the scanners were available.
He said that majority of the scanners located in various parts of the country can be repaired and made functional
.
Okon who represented the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning explained that
Asserting his knowledge of the project from the start, Jagtiani said smith detection scanners underscored the quality and durability of the scanners.
According to him, the scanners in the National Assembly and the Presidential villa were manufactured by them and have been maintaining them for over 20 years, adding that it would be out of place to say the scanners have no spare parts.
He said his company held series of meetings with government officials and officials of the Nigeria Customs Service and submitted quotations for the repairs and rehabilitation of the existing scanners.
He said that about 13 of the existing scanners can still be repaired and upgraded for the use of the Nigeria Customs Service.
He however said that the spare parts can only be purchased from the manufacturers.
At this juncture, the members of the Committee alleged a sabotage, wondering why the government would thinking of buying new ones when the old one could be fixed.
They also expressed surprise that Global Scan System Limited that failed to honour its commitment to the government when they were supposed to hand over the scanners to the government were again contracted to work with the Customs in the management of the scanners only for the entire system to collapse one year after.
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