The Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) has debunked media reports claiming that the Senate queried N205 million surplus in its budget proposal for 2018.

In a statement on Tuesday, NEPZA Head of Corporate Communications, Simon Imobo-Tswam declared that the Authority neither padded her budget proposal nor bloated its personnel cost. He said: “Although the stories mentioned figures here and there, both failed to state clearly that the figures were queries from the Distinguished Senators to which the NEPZA Managing Director, Hon. Emmanuel Jime, and his able team gave clear, detailed and satisfactory explanations.

“It is true that the Personnel Cost in NEPZA’s 2017 budget is N638 million and the proposed budget for 2018 is N710 million, but it is grossly incorrect to insinuate that the ‘budget was over bloated’ or state that ‘there is a N205 million surplus discovered in the 2018 budget estimates of NEPZA.’

“Personnel Cost of Government Agencies, NEPZA inclusive, are deducted in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), and NEPZA has no access to the fund as the staff are paid directly through the IPPIS.”

Imobo-Tswam stated further that the Authority’s gross monthly salary figure is over N53 million. Staff pensions, PAYE, NHIS and other deductions are made at source at the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF). “It is only the net of these deductions that enter into NEPZA’s account at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). And if we multiply just N53 million by 12months, what we get is over N636 million. In essence, the deductions from the Office of the AGF form part of the Authority’s Personnel Cost.”

He explained that this was why the Managing Director and his team took time to explain the variation in figures to the Senate Panel when Distinguished Sen. Usman Bayero Nafada asked the question. The Authority advised the general public to note this explanation accordingly.