By Stephen Ubanna
With barely eight months after former President Muhammadu Buhammadu Buhari, who had appointed Bashir Jamoh, Director General, Nigerain Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, left office, those who have never seen anything good in A Jamoh’s administration over the last three years but want him sacked appears to be back to the trenches to take advantage of the new government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reopen the issue.
There are indications that one Jackson Ude and his sponsors had initiated the smearing image Campign in the Social Media in 2021, against the NIMASA CEO that he had diverted N1.5 trillion of the agency funds into his personal Account and another $9.5 million, to a different Account traced to him.
The NIMASA, Director General who did not find the smearing image Campaign of the mischief makers both within and outside the nation’s maritime industry funny was said to have presented himself to then Abdulrasheed Bawa, led Economic and Financial Crime , EFCC, for probe armed with the relevant documents about his deposits and withdrawals from his bank Accounts to how his transparency in running the affairs of NIMASA with hi Management team.
He was said to have asked the anti-graft agency ‘’to conduct a thorough and painstaking investigations into the allegations’’ to unravel the truth and put the record straight in public domain’’. An aggrieved Jamoh, was said to have told those that cares to listen that ’’the allegations of money Laundering leveled against him by the accusers impugns his integrity, character circulating in he Social Media had taken years to build as a public servant, lamenting that his family name which had had been circulating in the Social Media has done much harm to his image.
There is no gain saying the fact that Ude and his likes may have come up with the weighty allegations against the NIMASA boss described as a workaholic in maritime circles to pave way for the former Katsina state born Nigerian President to sack him.
The NIMASA helmsman accusers may have gotten it wrong as neither the EFCC Leadership had invited him for interrogation nor the then Godwin Emefiele led Central of Nigeria, CBN queried him over the alleged withdrawals from the NIMASA, Account that would have given room for Buhari to to sack him.
The reverse was the case as he was said to have been conferred with the Officer of Federal Republic, OFR, national honour in 2022, to encourage him to continue to do his good work of taking the nation’s maritime domain to the next level where ‘’ it would remain safe and secure for ocean-going vessels laden with cargoes’’.
Many had expected that since the EFCC and the CBN, had not seen any substance in the allegations against the NIMASA CEO, to probe him, the accusers would have allowed the vexed issue to die a natural death since they have not been able to achieve their heart desire of getting then President Buhari to sack him.
The Maritime Regulatory Agency CEO, accusers, according to an insider may have taken advantage of the Tinubu’s new government to dust up and refresh the issue again for public attention in a You Tube video, with late Fela Anikulapo Kuti hit album waxed during the military era: You be thief, I no be thief, You be rouge, I no be rogue, You dey steal, I no dey steal, You be robber, I no be robber, You be armed robber, I no be armed robber, to reopen the weighty allegation against the NIMASA boss, meaning that they are more than ever determined to draw public attention to him through the You Tube social Media platform because of the reach.
The YouTube smearing image Campaign video initiated against Jamoh, the NIMASA , Director General which had become a public knowledge and currently being circulated in the Social Media may have encouraged Osagie Edward , an Assistant Director and NIMASA’s spokesperson who could not take it any longer to issue a public statement describing ‘’the mischief makers as circulating expired lies’’.
The tone of the NIMASA’s spokesperson remarks over the Social Media Campaign of Calumny against the agency’s CEO, Clearly shows the anger in him. ‘’This re-circulation of the 2021 video is the handiwork of mischief makers who are well- bent on misinforming unsuspecting members of the public for interest best known to them and their sponsors’’.
Appealing to the Nigerian public ‘’to disregard the content of ‘’ the misleading social media post which is an expression of lies’’. Industry stakeholders ha corroborated the NIMASA spokesperson claims he and further stated that he is a person of integrity who knows much about the Federal Civil Service Regulations which was said to have guided him to follows over the last three years in running the affairs of the agency over the lat three years and strictly follow the guidelines in the implementation of the Federal government Financial Regulations, insisting that he has’’ nothing to hide’’.
They noted that Jamoh, the NIMASA , Director General is a wrong person to attack by the accusers who are being sponsored by some unknown VIPs because they could not penetrate the ranks of the agency to do what they have been doing over the agencies in other government agencies: disappear into thin air without fully delivering on the contract.
In spite of efforts by the accusers of the NIMASA , Director General to divert his attention to unnecessary issues of fighting back, he seems to have remained focused to pursue his point agenda in the agency: Maritime, Security, Maritime Safety and shipping development for the Country to compete with other maritime nations both within and outside the African Continent.
The acknowledgement of the NIMASA helmsman impressive performance in the country’s anti-piracy war over the last three years by industry state holders and the International Community speaks volume. Given his determination to reposition the nation’s maritime sector to be in the league of the Asian country of Asian countries of China, Singapore , and the United Kingdom UK, including the European Union , EU, member countries of Netherland Germany, and the North American country of the United States, US, may have informed why the NIMASA ,boss had entered into discussions with Hajia Hadiza Bala Usman , a former Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority , NPA, now President Bola AhmedTinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Coordination to take over control and Management of the Authority’s idle Continental Ship yard at Apapa, Lagos, the nation’s Financial and Commercial nervecentre.
The discussion was said to have been concluded with the present Management team of the maritime agency under the close watch of Mohammed Bello-Koko, and which is currently being used as NIMASA’SA’s operational base and location for its N50 billion Modular Floating Dock in which the agency had spent millions of the dollars over the years to main in different private shipyards including Naval Dockyard at Victoria Island, Lagos.
Indeed, Jamoh, led Management of NIMASA, decision to also go ahead with the completion the multi-billion naira Institute Of Marine and Transport Technology that was said to have been initiated by Patrick Akpobolokemi , a former CEO , in the six geopolitical regions of the country , analysts had said bear eloquent testimony to his determination ”to change the face of the nation’s maritime industry to serve as a pool for maritime Labour like Singapore and Sierra Leone.
. Already, one of the multi-Million ultra-moden building complex housing the Institute has been completed in University of PortHarcourt , Rivers state, in the south -south geopolitical region and handed over to the University Authority while the University of , Lagos, south west Nigeria, Project was said to be over 90 % complet and may be handed over the the University Authority before the end of 2024. Vintage Jamoh.
