Buhari’s Govt Spent ₦84 Million For Idle Online Payment Portal – AGF Tells Reps

The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has expressed concern over the dormant state of an ₦84 million online payment portal designed to streamline revenue collection from Nigeria’s foreign missions.

The committee, headed 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 development was revealed during a committee hearing on Tuesday, where the Accountant General, Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein, disclosed that File Solution Limited was awarded the contract for the automation project in April 2021.

She added that the contract awarded on April 28, 2021, was worth a total sum of ₦83.6m, apart from a commission of one to five per cent, depending on the amount the company can collect.

According to her, 90 per cent of the contract sum, amounting to ₦75.2m, had been paid to the contractor.

Madein noted that the terms of the contract were to ensure that the collection of revenue from all Nigerian foreign missions was online in real time

Naija News understands that 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 Madein.