President Bola Tinubu must hear this. At a time, his administration is anchoring the revitalisation of the battered economy of the country, on strict compliance to fiscal discipline by all agencies and ministries of government, unknown to him, a major revenue earner for the federal government is engaging in huge sleaze activities in billions of naira.
Our correspondent can report today, that while President Tinubu and his economic team are battling to raise government revenue, that the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Bashir Jamoh, has been engaging in unnecessary contracts bazaar to pile his pockets, please his cronies and a select group of “privileged” Nigerians.
This newspaper can authoritatively report that at the 142nd Parastatal Tenders Board (PTB) Meeting of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, held on Thursday, October 19th, 2023 at the board room, of the agency on the 9th floor, of its head office, at 4 Burma road, Apapa, Lagos, Jamoh moved it to award a total of 70 contracts worth at about $10,000,000 [about N9 billion]
The contract awards, which experts in the sector now describe as “of no relevance to the core mandates of NIMASA” is happening at the twilight of the administration of Jamoh, whose tenure expires in another three months from now.
Credible information at our disposal, confirm that the contracts were awarded on Friday, the 20th of October 2023, on day two of the agency’s 142nd Parastatal Tenders Board [PTB] meetings which opened on Thursday, October 19, 2023.
Finger has been pointed at Jamoh for his continued profligate and corrupt expenditures, which, as alleged, have been the hallmark of his administration since 2020.
Under the DG’s latest contracts bazaar, the department of Administration and Human Resources got a total of 43 awards under its head, department of Research Planning and Data Management got 4 contracts awarded under its head, the department of Special Duties got 2 awards, Protocol 1, Maritime Labour Services 3, Health Safety and Environment Unit 1, Financial Services department 2 and Servicom Unit 2.
Others are Public Private Partnerships Unit 1 award, Legal Unity 2 awards, and Maritime Safety and Seafarers Standard department 3.
Stakeholders, it was gathered, believe that the contracts were awarded to influential people in government to ensure Jamoh’s reappointment as director general.
According to a document on the meeting, some of the contracts awarded included: the construction of skill acquisition centres in Zamfara state, Ondo state and Kafanchan, Kaduna state at N1.5billion to 3 companies, Cratex construction Ltd, CGGC company Ltd and Single Approach Engineering Ltd.
Two other contracts of N2 billion were awarded for the construction of medical science laboratories at federal university Kashere, Gombe state and construction of senate building at the maritime university, Okeronkoko, Delta State to Halims and Halims Interglobal Ltd and Axaka Ltd.
Meanwhile the same NIMASA under Jamoh has refused to release funds for payment of the certificate of competency (COC) of hundreds of students sponsored by NIMASA who have been abandoned abroad some for upwards of eleven years.
Feelers from a NIMASA source said that “Jamoh always claims that there is no money but has been obsessed with award of contracts for all kinds of projects, particularly in the north.
“If he can get away with it under the former regime where his son in law, Tunde Sabiu, was the most powerful figure in the Buhari regime, why should he be allowed to continue with the same corruption and profligacy under the Tinubu government?”
It is alleged that most of the key executive directors and senior directors of NIMASA were not present at the tender’s board meeting on that day because they had raised objections to the massive expenditure in the twilight of his tenure in office.
Some officials and Non- State actors, according to feelers, have adverted the attention of the ICPC and EFCC to the “heist” going on in the agency.
It could not be confirmed if formal petitions had been submitted to the anti-corruption agencies for necessary administrative actions.
