Headlines

Civil society group spurns corruption allegations against Jamoh, NIMASA DG.

Dr. Bashir Jamoh, NIMASA DG

The Eyewitness Reporter

A coalition of civil organisations has risen in stout defence of the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh over a plethora of corruption allegations against him.

At a press conference in Abuja Wednesday, the coalition dismissed the allegations as baseless and political vendetta against the NIMASA DG by his political enemies who are intimidated by the soaring achievements of Jamoh at the agency.

It could be recalled that viral reports by some online news platforms (not the eyewitness news), make a series of allegations bordering on financial prolificacy against the NIMASA DG.

Speaking through Comrade Dele Anifowoshe, the National Secretary, CCSON, the coalition said there was no in-depth investigation before some media houses reported what they received as allegations from some persons they described as mischievous and unscrupulous elements.

According to Anifowoshe, the group, through its investigation, has discovered that the allegations against Dr Jamoh were sponsored by some disgruntled elements whose dirty businesses have been taken away and are now fighting back by using some sections of the media to report unverified facts.

“As Coalition of Civil Society Organizations in Nigeria, CCSON, we have deemed it fit to debunk claims against the Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, over alleged financial infractions which are not true as they make Nigerians to believe a lie.

“Our investigations revealed that the stories and reports put out there are all tissues of lies and baseless.

“It’s unfortunate, that some of these publications were hurriedly put together and some news media ran with them without doing due diligence through investigation to verify and balance their reportage.

“We want to make it clear that these allegations have never been verified and authenticated anywhere and anytime; rather they are deliberately cooked up by some unscrupulous elements who do not mean well for our country and peace, the Scribe of the coalition declared.

He therefore appealed to Nigerians to dismiss the report as cheap blackmail meant to discredit the good work of Dr Jamoh at NIMASA.

“We call on Nigerians to discard this cheap blackmail from persons who are out to defame the Director General of NIMASA who has positively transformed the agency and repositioned it for high productivity.”

According to him, the NIMASA boss is a game changer and go-getter who has transformed the image of the agency and attracted local and international recognition and awards.

“Industry players have showered encomium on his sterling performance since he took over the helm of affairs of the agency.

“Today, NIMASA is recognized for its performance by bringing the agency to be at par with its counterparts across the world based on its global best practices.

“Dr. Jamoh has stood out among those who were DGs of NIMASA by being gender sensitive and friendly, as the agency has 60 percent of directors as women under his leadership

“He has been able, through his proactive and pragmatic steps, to make the Agency have strong synergy between other relevant agencies and established international collaboration against piracy and other maritime offences resulting in an all-time reduction in vessel and crew attacks.

“With his personal involvement and engagement with the NIMASA Board, Executive Management Team and all staff of the agency, they have all worked assiduously to contribute to the success stories the nation’s foremost maritime administration has been associated with.

“He is currently on the move to ensure NIMASA scales up the performance of its statutory functions and activities to woo more investors, professionals and all stakeholders in the nation’s maritime industry to boost the economy,” he said, adding that “Now we have to double our efforts.”

The coalition therefore charged the NIMASA DG to remain focused and not to be distracted by the antics of what it described as mischief makers.

The group declared that the towering performance of Dr. Jamoh as the NIMASA DG has attracted both local and international recognition and accolades through awards.

“Media reports also have it that the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) in its recent report had disclosed that piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, which had in recent times become the global epicenter for sea piracy, fell to the lowest since Q2 2019 after Dr. Jamoh started enforcing the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, also known as the Deep Blue Project.

“Based on the impact and achievements of the DG NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh, since assumption of office, has won several awards including the 2020 Zik Prize in Public Policy.

“Also the prestigious media giant, Vanguard Media has given one of its highest awards to Dr. Jamoh as recognition and commendation of his radical transformation of NIMASA, which was the ‘Public Sector Icon (Maritime) Award’, and critical maritime stakeholders who witnessed the ceremony acknowledged the fact that the NIMASA DG has worked hard within a short period to justify the honour.

“Due to his excellent performance in repositioning NIMASA, he was honoured with the prestigious award of ‘Public Servant of the Year’ in 2022 by Champion Newspapers.

“Also internationally, he has been applauded for his doggedness and determination to change the narrative after he hit the ground running as the DG NIMASA”, they added.

“We once again state that the allegations against a core technocrat and goal-getter as Dr Jamoh are all lies from the lips of mischief-makers,” the coalition stressed.

Headlines

Open Letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the need to assent to the Nigerian Shipping and Ports Economic Regulatory Agency(NSPERA) bill

By Elder Asu Beks

Mr President,on behalf of the Maritime Elders Forum and entire maritime stakeholders, i respectfully send you season’s greetings.

There is no doubt, Mr President, that 2025 has been one of the most turbulent and challenging years in the history of our nation.

From the wave of insecurity ,which you have tackled squarely,to the far reaching economic reforms which has translated to the tax reform bills , are all pointers to the fact that you are taking the challenges head on.

Mr President , your modest achievements in the Oil and Gas sector are also there for all to see.

From the bold decision to abolish fuel subsidy to the increase in daily production levels to an average 1.8m bpd ,from about 1mbpd daily output as at May ,2023, and the complete disapperance of fuel queues, it is certain, Mr President, that you are building a legacy of renewed hope, unprecedented in the life of our nation.

We cannot thank you enough, Mr President.

For us in the maritime sector, the most profound of your score card remains the creation of a specialised Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.

The demand for a Ministry to oversee Nigeria’s vast maritime domain is as old as Nigeria’s Independence.

For us as critical stakeholders, this couldnt have come at a better time.

In just two years of the creation of this specialised Ministry, Nigerians are already reaping bountifully from this innovative move.

Only last month,Nigeria won an election into the elusive category ” C” of the International Maritime Organisation, (IMO).

This victory is coming after nine unsuccessful attempts, spanning 14 years.

With this victory , which couldn’t have been posible without your fatherly role,our fortunes as one of the greatest maritime nations in sub saharan Africa has been solidified.

Mr President, another milestone recorded under your watch ,since the creation of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy is the introduction of the game changing National Single Window platform which comes into effect in the first quarter of 2026.

The National Single Window is a trade facilitation tool designed to eliminate multiple entries by various regulatory bodies in business transactions in our seaports.

In other words, it is a digitalized platform that allows importers and exporters to submit all necessary documents, permits , and data to multiple government agencies through a single entry point.

Mr President, with these developments, you have etched your name as “the President who saw tomorrow” by demonstrating in concrete terms, the enormous potentials which this sector holds as your administration continues to look at a Nigeria beyond oil.

In this regard, Mr President ,we the Maritime Elders Forum urge you ,without delay to sign into law, the Nigerian Shipping and Port Regulatory Agency (NPERA) Bill .

The NPERA Bill aims to transform the Nigerian Shippers Council, (NSC) into a powerful, independent economic regulator for Nigeria’s Ports,creating a strong frame work for tariffs,fair competition and efficiency after port concession.

The Bill, a brain child of Dr Tajudeen Abass, Speaker, Federal House of Representatives, is aimed to fill the vacuum created by an absence of a regulatory agency in such a critical sector of our national economy ,as against other sectors such as banking, petroleum , energy and communication.

This critical Bill seeks to repeal the old Nigerian Shippers Council Act and empower the Council to manage port economic activities, boosting the Blue Economy.

Mr President, the laudable objectives of this Bill include;establishing an independent regulation to create a strong legally backed economic regulator for our ports; Control tariffs, charges and regulate port charges in such a manner as to prevent arbitrariness and ensure fairness; to promote fair competition by improving overall port operations and attract investment; Support the Blue Economy to align with our national goals for developing Nigeria’s Marine Economy.

Your Excellency Sir, this Bill was given an accelerated hearing ,and was passed by both chambers of the National Assembly on April 10, 2025 upon which it was forwarded to you for assent.

Mr President sir, the delay or your failure to assent to this Bill is coming at huge cost and has resulted in significant economic losses for Nigeria, primarily by perpetuating an unregulated and inefficient port system that has led to huge financial leakages that deter investment.

Mr President, sir, it is estimated that the nation is losing billions of dollars dailly to the absence of a strong legal frame work for port economic regulation.

We have on good authority, Mr President, that this obvious lack or absence of a regulated ports industry is also taking a huge toll on local and foreign investments as an estimated $250b is said to be lost annually, aside arbitrary charges by terminal operators and Shipping Lines .

In a nutshell, Mr President, the envisaged benefits of this brand new Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has been eroded on account of the absence of a legal regulatory frame work.

As it stands, sir ,a Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy without an Economic Regulator is akin to a football game without a referee.

it means anything goes and the out come of a game without an official umpire could be better imagined.

Mr President sir, consequently ,the time to sign the NPERA Bill is now.

Thank you Mr President for listening to this passionate appeal.

Let this be your new year present to Maritime Stakeholders.

ELDER ASU BEKS, CONVENER, MARITIME ELDERS FORUM, LAGOS

Headlines

Tantita intercepts stolen crude on escort of Delta Marine Police, arrests four suspects

Funso OLOJO

Tantita Security Services Limited, a pipeline surveillance operations company, has intercepted a tanker vessel, MT Thor, laden with suspected stolen crude oil.

The interception, which occurred on December 15th, 2025, around the Koko–Excravos axis of Delta State, happened while the vessel was allegedly being escorted by personnel of the Police Marine Unit, Delta State, who reportedly claimed they were acting on directives from the Force Intelligence Department (FID), Abuja.

Four suspects have been apprehended in connection with the incident and are currently facing investigation for possible prosecution.

The arrest was announced during the handover of the suspects at Koko Port in Delta State by Tantita Security Services Limited (TSSNL), a firm engaged in pipeline surveillance operations.

Speaking at the handover of the vessel and the suspects at Koko Port, Delta state, the Executive Director of Operations at Tantita, Captain Warredi Enisouh, said the suspects were apprehended with an unspecified quantity of suspected illegally sourced petroleum products aboard the vessel.

According to a situation report made available by the Special Prosecution Team (SPT) of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Petroleum Product Theft, Tantita alerted the Head of Investigation of the SPT after intercepting MT Thor, which was allegedly laden with crude oil obtained through illicit means.

Preliminary investigations by law enforcement agencies revealed that the vessel, now classified as an exhibit in an ongoing criminal investigation, is linked to a jetty operated by Ebenco Global Services Limited.

Investigation officers disclosed that documents and correspondence connected to the jetty were obtained and are currently under review.

“The owner of the jetty, Mr. Ebenezer, was contacted by investigators and reportedly provided additional documents, including court orders, which are also being analysed as part of the investigation.

“On December 16, a joint investigation team led by the Head of Investigation of the SPT conducted a Joint Inspection Visit in Koko.

The team first met at Tantita’s corporate headquarters in Warri for a briefing, which was also attended by the jetty owner.

“During the inspection, investigators attempted to obtain samples from MT Thor but were unable to do so immediately as the vessel had not yet arrived at the jetty, having been towed from an earlier location by security operatives.

“While awaiting the vessel’s arrival, the team inspected other containers suspected to be carrying crude oil within the premises of Ebenco Global Links Limited, where samples were taken from a storage barge.

“MT Thor eventually berthed at about 8:30 p.m. on 16 December, prompting the joint team to adjourn sampling and other procedures until the following day.

As of 17 December 2025, investigators were reported to be en route to Koko to continue sample collection and complete investigation formalities,” the report read.

Receiving the suspects, the Head of the Special Prosecution Team of the Inter-Agency Task Force, Omar Sini, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s resolve to dismantle crude oil theft networks in the Niger Delta, assuring that all findings would be thoroughly examined and prosecuted in line with the law.

Headlines

Mobereola, NIMASA DG, reflects on year 2025 with satisfaction, says 2026 holds promising opportunities for maritime industry

Funso OLOJO

The Director -General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Dayo Mobereola, has expressed his satisfaction over the achievements recorded in the maritime industry in the outgoing year of 2025, while looking forward to a promising 2026 with hope.

In his Christmas message to the stakeholders in the maritime industry, Dr Mobereola noted that the 2026 ended well with the election of Nigeria into the category C of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) after 14 years of failed attempts as well as zero occurrence of piracy attacks on Nigeria’ waters.

“The year 2025 has been a good one for our industry as once again, we have not recorded a single piracy attack in our waters in a whole calendar year, Nigeria was also able to deposit three Instruments of Accession to IMO Conventions that were signed by President Bola Tinubu ,we have been able to maintain industrial harmony in the sector all of which culminated to Nigeria’s election into the category C Council of the International Maritime Organization.

“We couldn’t have done this without our stakeholders who have contributed in various ways in the course of their operations during the year. We see you, we thank you and we felicitate with your during this yuletide season”Mobereola observed.

He however assured that the Agency will re-double efforts in ensuring that 2026 is even better for every stakeholder.

While calling on industry operators to brace up for the new year with hope of better times, Dr. Mobereola noted that “at NIMASA, we appreciate the weight of our renewed responsibility by virtue of Nigeria’s membership of the IMO Council because to whom much is given, much is definitely expected.

” You can therefore be sure of an increased momentum in our resolve to sustain maritime safety, security, environmental protection and adherence to relevant conventions and protocols with renewed vigour.”

The DG concluded by acknowledging the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Adegboyega Oyetola, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, industry stakeholders, management and staff of NIMASA as well as all Nigerians and wished everyone a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.