By Jabiru Hassan, Kano
The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) has called on Zilcon Higgs International Limited to cease making defamatory statements against the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). This plea follows the firm’s dissatisfaction with non-payment for a consultancy job allegedly carried out for the Nine Oil Producing States.
In a statement released to the media in Lagos, CACOL Chairman Mr. Debo Adeniran addressed concerns over a press release published in the Daily Sun on September 13, 2024. The release featured claims by Hon. Sampson Orji, CEO of Zilcon Higgs International Limited, alleging that the firm was hired by the governors of the nine oil-producing states to recover $2,471,040,983.38 from an earlier FAAC Post-Mortem Committee refund. The release also accused RMAFC of failing to authorize payment for this consultancy work.
Adeniran criticized Zilcon Higgs for falsely accusing RMAFC of not authorizing payment for a job purportedly awarded by a different entity. He highlighted that Zilcon Higgs had previously claimed that the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazak, had issued a contract to another firm, Tiaras White Consult Ltd., for the same consultancy role. Zilcon Higgs also alleged that RMAFC Chairman Mohammed Bello Shehu had informed EFCC investigators that Tiaras White was the only consultant engaged for the job.
Adeniran noted that the chairman of the nine oil-producing states had refuted Zilcon Higgs’s claims, stating that their appointment was not for the same job. He emphasized that the funds being claimed by the states were based on court judgments, not on the consultancy work by Zilcon Higgs.
The statement also criticized Zilcon Higgs for their petition to President Tinubu and their complaint to the EFCC, suggesting that the company should allow the EFCC’s investigation to conclude. The RMAFC Chairman clarified that no money had been released to any of the oil-producing states or consultants, as payments are subject to confirmation by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) and the Ministry of Finance. Payments are made directly to the states’ accounts and cannot be authorized by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) or the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON).
CACOL argued that any payments related to judgment debts must follow proper appropriation and legal processes, emphasizing that the Constitution restricts deductions from statutory allocations without appropriate authorizations. The statement also referenced past controversies involving consultancy claims and stressed the importance of awaiting court judgments rather than making public allegations.
CACOL concluded by urging Zilcon Higgs International to refrain from defaming RMAFC and to wait for the resolution of the legal proceedings currently before the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
