Amaechi Orders Financial, Staff Audit Of NIMASA; Ex-NIMASA DG Re-Arrested Outside Court Premises

Minister of Transportation & Aviation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi

The Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, has directed immediate financial and staff audit of the Nigerian Maritime and Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). The minister gave the directive on Monday during his maiden tour of Lagos ports and a stop-over at NIMASA Resource Centre, Kirikiri.

Amaechi also directed the Acting Director-General of NIMASA, Mr Haruna Jauro, to forward details of contracts awarded by the agency for verification.

The Nation report continues:

The former Rivers governor demanded a detailed financial report of the agency since its inception

“Over ₦100 billion is given to this agency yearly and I am yet to see how it has been spent. I am yet to see some of the projects being executed by this agency,’’ Amaechi said.

The minister also requested for the staff nominal roll and details of staff employed by the agency and their qualifications.

He instructed the acting director-general to forward the staff nominal roll of the agency to the Federal Ministry of Transport to know if there were vacancies to be filled.

Amaechi expressed dissatisfaction with the ill-equipped clinic laboratory at the NIMASA Resource centre.

“From my inspection so far, I discovered that the Search and Rescue clinic is not equipped; the canteen is in deteriorated condition; the chairs are not okay and the place is leaking,’’ the minster said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NIMASA is the apex regulatory and promotional maritime agency in the country.

The agency was created from the merger of National Maritime Authority (NMA) and Joint Maritime Labour Industrial Council on Aug. 1, 2006.

Earlier, the minister directed the management of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to work toward achieving 48 hours cargo clearance target when he visited the headquarters of the agency in Lagos.

He said he had promised President Muhammadu Buhari that he would ensure Nigerian ports achieved 48 hours cargo clearance target.
Ex-NIMASA DG Re-Arrested Outside Court Premises 

Footage credits: CHANNELS TV

Security agents on Monday re-arrested a former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Patrick Ziakedi Akpobolokemi, outside the Federal High Court premises in Lagos moments after his trial for allegedly defrauding the Federal Government was adjourned.

Policemen and plain clothes operatives swooped on Akpobolokemi and bundled him into a waiting bus soon after Justice Ibrahim Buba adjourned trial to January 18, 2016.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned the ex-NIMASA DG and three others on charges of converting ₦2.6billion as well as defrauding the Federal Government to the tune of ₦795.2million.

The others are – Capt. Ezekiel Agaba, Ekene Nwakuche, Governor Juan, and three companies, namely Blockz and Stonz Limited, Kenzo Logistics Limited and Al-Kenzo Logistic Limited.

In a 22-count charge, they were accused of converting ₦2,658,957,666 between December 23, 2013 and May 28 this year. The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Akpobolokemi and nine others, including two companies, were earlier arraigned before Justice Saliu Saidu of the same court on a separate charge of conspiring among themselves to convert ₦3.4billion belonging to NIMASA. They also pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Nation learnt that Akpobolokemi, dressed in white, was released from prison custody at the weekend after perfecting the bail conditions imposed on him by Justice Buba.

There was a mild drama as the operatives made to grab him as he left the courtroom. The defendant resisted the move, claiming that he was on bail.

But the security agents, who ignored his protests, overpowered and bundled him into a waiting bus to the bemusement of onlookers.

Effort by his lawyer, Dr. Joseph Nwobike (SAN), to intervene and prevent his client’s re-arrest was unsuccessful.