Lagos, Wednesday, June 5, 2013: Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has made a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) seeking detailed information on its landed properties nationwide and those recently sold under its current management.
In a letter with the subject: “Request for Information on Nigerian Export Promotion (NEPC) Properties Nationwide”, dated May 31, 2013 and signed by its Programme Manager, Mr. Ayode Longe, MRA is asking the Council to provide it with the requested information, records and documents within seven days as required by the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.
The NEPC is a Federal Government agency which is mandated to promote the development and diversification of Nigeria’s export trade as well as to actively promote the implementation of Nigeria export policies and programmes.
The FOI request followed reports that the Council’s properties around the country, including the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Centre located in Lugard Avenue in Ikoyi, Lagos, are being sold to top executives of the Council and their friends.
In the letter written pursuant to the FOI Act and the Public Procurement Act, 2007, MRA is seeking the following records, documents and information:
- A list of all landed properties nationwide belonging to the Council and the value or estimated value of each of the properties.
- A list of all the landed properties belonging to the Council that were sold or otherwise disposed of during the tenure of the current management of the Council, i.e. during the tenure of the current Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, and the reason for the decision to sell or otherwise dispose of each of the affected properties.
- The names of the individuals, institutions, organizations, companies or other entities that bought each of the landed properties and the amount for which each of them was sold or otherwise disposed of, including all commissions, agency fees, legal fees or other non-monetary consideration.
- Copies of the minutes of the meeting or meetings where the decision or decisions to sell or otherwise dispose of the affected property or properties were taken.
- Whether Open Competitive Bidding, within the meaning of the Public Procurement Act, was adopted in receiving offers or bids for the purchase of each of the affected properties offered for sale, in accordance with Section 55(3) of the Public Procurement Act and if so, copies of the advertisements soliciting for bids and other relevant records and documents relating to the entire disposal process, including copies of the letters or notifications sent to successful bidders or offerors informing them of the success of their bids or offers.
- The Valuation Report or Reports for the property or properties prepared by an independent evaluator before each of the property was disposed of or slated for disposal, in accordance with Section 56(1) of the Public Procurement Act.
- Whether the disposal of each of the properties was planned and integrated into the income and expenditure budget projection of the Council, as required by Section 56(2) of the Public Procurement Act and if so, all records and documents evidencing this.
- Whether the disposal of each of these properties was timed to take place when the most advantageous returns could be obtained for the relevant properties in order to maximize revenue accruing to the government, as required by Section 56(3) of the Public Procurement Act and if so, what factors were taken into account in disposing of the properties at the time that the disposal took place.
- Whether responsibilities for the disposal of each of the relevant properties were distributed between the Procurement Unit of the Council and its Tenders Board, as required by Section 56(4) of the Public Procurement Act and if so, all records and documents evidencing the process.
For further information, please contact:
Ayode Longe
Media Rights Agenda (MRA)
Ikeja, Lagos
Tel: +234 1 761 6803
Mobile: +234 802 329 8628
Email: ayode@mediarightsagenda.net
