ABUJA: An indigenous shipping firm, Elshcon Nigeria Limited has adduced its reason for instituting legal actions against the Federal Government.
The Federal Government had through the Ministry of Finance directed the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, and the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, to remit their internally generated revenue to the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
The firm said, such directive its recent directive to runs foul of the enabling laws of the affected agencies.
Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala had directed all government agencies to pay their internally-generated revenue, accruing to them or funds statutorily- provided into the Consolidated Revenue Fund, CRF at the CBN and to close all their revenue accounts in different deposit banks across the country and beyond.
The agencies were also mandated to transfer same into the Treasury Single Account, TSA, on or before February28, 2015.
In a suit, number FHC/L/ CS/201/15 brought by Mr. Mike Igbokwe SAN, on behalf of the shipping company, the firm challenged the powers of the Federal Government to direct the NIMASA, NPA and NIWA to pay their internally generated revenue accruing to them or funds statutorily- provided into the CRF, which he told the court contravened some sections of the enabling laws of the affected agencies.
According to him, the directive, which was issued by the Minister to all the government agencies, should have excluded NIMASA, NPA and NIWA in line with their enabling laws.
Igbokwe in the suit brought before Justice Ibrahim Buba, in which the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Account-General of the Federation and the Minister of Finance were joined as co-defendants, applied for exparte order restraining the Federal Government, the first defendant either by himself or through his agents or servants or privies or assigns or successors-in-interest or through any company, maritime agency or the Ministry whatsoever from enforcing the directive.
