By Stephen Ubanna
Barshir Jamoh, a Maritime ICON and Managing Director, Nigerian Maritime and Safety Agency, NIMASA, who is also the Chairman of Council and President of the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration, CIOTA, has given an insight why the Institute’s Electoral Panel headed by Innocent Ogwude, a Professor, suspended the electoral process that would have ushered in a new National Executive Committee, NEC, for the 2022 Fiscal year.
In a Statement that was said to have been signed by Jamoh, the CIOTA President and Chinda Evans Ogbuji, the Secretary General, that was made public recently, the duo had said that ‘’the decision to suspend the 2022, Electoral process was taken in line with the provisions of paragraph 6, sub paragraph 3 of the first schedule of the CIOTA Bill passed by the National Assembly and signed into Law, by President Muhammadu, in 2019. The CIOTA Act, was said to have led to the establishment of the Institute in June, 2019.
It was therefore not very surprising that the NIMASA Director General, led NEC, of CIOTA, which was said to be instrumental for the establishment of the University of Transportation in Daura, home town of the Kastina state born Nigerian President by Rotimi Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers state and the then minister of Transportation, going by the bill that was passed by the National Assembly last April and signed into Law by the Nigerian President in June 2019.
Jamoh, the CIOTA Chairman of Council and President of the Institute, may not have wanted the legacy that had had been set by the current NEC, under his leadership, that had earned it the recognition of past and present ministers of Transportation to be eroded by those who were said to be bribing their way to get into office. ,
Jamoh and Ogbuji, who could not their feelings, were emphatic hat the decision was taken ‘’ to save the entire 2022, electoral process’’, stressing the NEC, commitment ‘’to having a transparent and credible elections and hand over power to the next Administration’’.
Jamoh, the CIOTA, president, particular, had repeatedly said that the outgoing CIOTA, NEC, under his close watch, ‘’is under an Oath to serving the institute selflessly’’. This may have informed why he is also seeking for a new officials of For the CIOTA,that would serve it selflessly.
Given an insider information on the suspension of the 2022, electoral process of the Institute, he had said that NEC had received several complaints about the process such as ‘’the ad-hoc Electoral Committee ‘’levying of interested members for expression of interest form without the approval of the Executive, non –publication of all vacant elective positions, restriction of collection and submission of nomination forms to just one week instead of the five weeks to election date as stipulated in the CIOTA Act’’.
That much was confirmed by Chizoba Anyika, spokesperson of CIOATA. Mrs. Anyka, had said that the Ogwude led ad-hoc Electoral Commitee, was saddled with the responsibility of conducting elections at the CIOTA annual General Meeting, AGM, scheduled for the last week of November, 2022.
She noted that going by the CIOTA, 2019, Act, ‘’positions that will become vacant by the end of 2022, subject to the recommendations to the Chairman of council by the Electoral Panel, which include , Jamoh, in his capacity as the National President, of CIOTA, Deputy President National Secretary, Assistant National Secretary, Provost, and Treasurer.
Other officials of CIOTA, in the Electoral Panel, include, were the National Financial Secretary, Public Rrlations Officer, PRO,s and Auditor 1,2 and 3, of the institute. The CIOTA, Publicity Secretary, averred that under the CIOTA 2019 Act, which stipulates in section 5, sub section 2(a) that the President of the Institute must be somebody with at least of post registration experience. .
According to Anyika, the Institute spokesperson, ‘’collection and submission of forms are scheduled to elapse five weeks prior to the elections’’ as stipulated in the CIOTA Act, confirming what Jamoh, the president of the institute had said, meaning that the ad-hoc Electoral Committee headed by Prof.Ogwude, had contravened the CIOTA Act.
He was said to have also cited ‘’the non-adherence to eligibility criteria as contained in the Institute’s Act and lack of transparency and fairness in the entire process amongst other allegations’’, warning that the NEC, under his Leadership ‘’will not condone any act by anybody or group of persons doing anything that tat bring the institute to disrepute’’.
Appealing to the 7-man ad-hoc electoral Committee, not to allow itself ‘’to be coerced into taking actions that will set bad precedence that will injure the reputation of CIOTA’’, which had been attained over the years that it had won the recognition of the government. Hear him: I am glad about the level of interest in CIOTA electoral process people.He may have alluded ‘’to the enviable standards which the CIOTA, NEC, have taken the institute to’’.
An elated Jamoh, who is happy at the level which the Institute had attained, opined that they are committed ‘’to ensuring fair play and justice in the conduct of elections in CIOTA, and thus must be ‘’guided by the provisions of its enabling Act.‘‘We will not condone any action contrary to the Act and Constitution of the institute on election matters’’., he further remarked.
+
