Headlines
Why we are taking time to deploy N50 billion NIMASA floating dock —Jamoh
The eyewitness reporter
The N50 billion modular floating dock acquired by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is still homeless and yet to be deployed four years after the gigantic national asset was procured and brought back to the country.
Built by one of the world’s largest ship building firms, Damen Shipyards, and its partner, NIRDA, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, at a cost of N50b, the NIMASA floating dock is 125 metres by 35metres, with three in-built cranes, transformers, and a number of ancillary facilities.
“The position we want to put the modular floating dock, the same position about four years ago, NPA removed their own dead floating dock, we came, we saw the modular floating dock working everybody knew the NPA modular floating dock was there standing, but today it’s no more due to the mismanagement of government resources.
“We came here, we had a meeting with the former NPA MD Hadiza Bala Usman, and we were contemplating whether the management that managed the NPA own can manage ours, I told her black and white, they killed your own, they can’t kill our own.
“They destroyed the NPA floating dock and we said that this cannot be killed also, we learnt from that and we said let’s go the Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, that we will get a managing partner who has the experience and the technical know-how and the wherewithal to bring customers.
“It’s one thing to have a floating dock, it’s another thing to have the confidence of the people to bring their ships there,” he said.
He further explained that ship-owners may not have the confidence to go to the Niger Delta if the floating dock was there.
The NIMASA boss stated that it took the agency eight months to convince the authority to give the approval to commence the operation of the floating dock in Lagos, but said the agency is yet to get a location in Lagos where the floating dock can reside.
Jamoh revealed that since he assumed office, the agency has been working on how to put the floating dock to use, debunking reports that the floating dock is no longer working.
“From the time I assume office till date, we have been working on the floating dock, the floating dock was built and there is installation, so when they built and brought it here, they ought to have installed it.
“That installation part has not been done, it’s not that we are sleeping, we are doing so many things simultaneously, there are processes and procedures in putting the floating dock to use.
“If the cranes are not working, you cannot work with the floating dock, so the first thing we did, was to call Damien the manufacturers of the floating dock and tell them that you delivered this floating dock and you did not install it, we have to know the workability of the cranes, the engine because everything must be in place, and then above all, the floating dock is not a ship that is moving, you have to clip it”.
The NIMASA boss stated that the agency had to temporarily import equipment from the Netherlands to come only to clip the floating dock
“As we are talking now, the dolphins that we are going to put for the clipping cannot be found in the country, in the whole Nigeria,you cannot get the equipment that can put that dolphin into our own sea for you to clip the floating dock, so we have to do temporary importation of the equipment from the Netherlands to come only purposely to put the dolphin and take it back to Netherland
“The second issue is the issue of location, the first thing that came was the issue of taking the floating dock to Niger Delta but we discovered that we don’t have the draft.
“As we are talking, I just came back from Abuja to get the consent and agreement of the people that they will give us a location where we can place the floating dock, till now we don’t have a location.
“And remember this floating dock has been there since 2018, nobody works it, nobody starts it, nobody knows how it works, so we have to bring the Damien engineers, they came here several times from Netherland.
“We have to bring the Israelis to come here and work with it, so it’s not that we are sleeping or delaying, above all, the modular floating dock is not something you can utilize and give anybody to kill.
“So what we have is a floating dock that can repair ships, if you don’t have the integrity and the technical know-how, nobody will bring their ship there.
“So having done all that, we have to go to the ICRC because it’s a procurement process, first they have to check whether the PPP arrangement you are coming into is doable, bankable, or not.
“So we got the go ahead and they gave us certificate after that we have to go and develop a business case on that, and you have to advertise, people must bid and then you select the best after selecting, then you develop a business case, everybody must know its shares and responsibility.
“After that, we will now take it to the mother ministry, evaluate everything and take it to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) because it’s now public property and not NIMASA floating dock again.
“The procurement cycle sometimes in this country, you have to spend one year, everybody knows that there is a problem with the procurement cycle, so we are looking for the best for the country.
“At the same time, we are working to see the modular floating dock works, working to see the appropriate place for where to put the floating dock, working hard to make sure that we have people who can handle it like a private entity, we get our profit and send to the government.
“We shouldn’t take it to our own friends and cronies. Everybody that has investment should come and invest at a later date, we will put it in the stock Exchange and it becomes public property and everybody owns shares and manages it well” he stated.
Later, the Nigerian Navy came to its rescue when it tugged it into its dockyard, still idle but gulping national resources in maintenance.
Soon after, during the current tenure of the incumbent Director General of NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), under the former leadership of Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman, offered to house the idle floating dock in its derelict shipyard at the request of the NIMASA management.
Customs
Ibrahim Shu’aibu, impersonator of CGC Adeniyi, faces trial, knows fate on July 3rd, as Abuja Federal High Court adjourns hearing
Freight Monitor
Fresh crisis brews in ANLCA
—as angry members walk out of NEC meeting over imposition of strange characters on ASECO.
— aggrieved members may seek redress in court— Ozo Chukwura
The Eyewitness Reporter
The fragile peace that has existed in the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) since the eight months administration of Chief Emenike Nwekeoji, the National President of the association, may be ruptured and return the war-weary group to a resurgence of fresh crisis.
Ironically, the unilateral decisions made by Chief Emenike at the recently held National Executive Committee (NEC)meeting of the association have sparked outrage and may return the aggrieved members to the trenches.
It could be recalled that the President of ANLCA, Chief Emenke, had called the NEC meeting of the association on April 26th, 2024 to discuss two matters listed on the agenda, which included the reconstitution of the Association Electoral Committee (ASECO) after the unceremonious resignation of its Chairman, Chief Alloy Eze and election into the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the association.
However, Prince Ozo Chukwura, the Vice Chairman of the association’s BOT, who was present at the meeting, told our reporter that the NEC meeting was stalemated.
“The meeting was inconclusive. It was stalemated as aggrieved members walked out in anger over the unilateral decision of Emenike to bring in two unqualified members and impose them on ASECO as members against the wish of BOT members and other attendees” Prince Ozo Chukwura disclosed.
According to him, the sign that Emenike had a hidden agenda first emerged when the meeting, which was slated for 1 0’clock didn’t start until around 4: 25 pm as some members, who had gone to have another clandestine meeting elsewhere came in late and briefed the president before the NEC meeting started.
“After a long epistle of a welcome address in which he tried to prepare the minds of those in attendance for his hidden agenda, Emenike announced the names of two strange characters who by no means are not qualified as members of ASECO to join the original six members.”
” We all in unison rejected the choice and objected to the strange practice by Mr. President as the supreme constitution of ANLCA only empowers the BOT members to appoint ASECO members and submit their names to NEC and not NECOM for ratification”
” We were therefore surprised at the decision of the President to appoint ASECO members.” But Emenike told us he derived his powers to set up ASECO members from section 25 of the 2013 constitution.
” However, he insisted and maintained its position to bring in these two strange characters who he apparently wanted to do his biddings as ASECO members.”Curiously, he wanted to make one of them, one Francis Itua, who clearly did not qualify as his practicing licence is not more than four months as against the stipulated five to 10 years, to become the chairman of the ASECO while the second person, Abayomi Ajibola, whom I didn’t recognize, is slated for the position of Secretary.
“However, in order to give peace a chance, we gave the President option B, which was to retain the former six members without bringing in other persons while he was given the opportunity of appointing the chairman and secretary among them”
“This was despite the vehement protest of the Chairman of the Western Zone, Mr Femi Anifowose.” At this point, most attendees, including myself, walked out of the venue of the meeting, surprised at the despotic attitude of the President.
” I distance myself from the unilateral decisions of Mr President which to me is a recipe for anarchy and chaos in the association.”If not rescinded, it could lead to a resurgence of litigations by aggrieved members who are at liberty to approach the courts to seek redress” the ANLCA chieftain warned.
Prince Chukwura bemoaned the arrogant attitude of Emenike since he emerged in what he described as highly compromised election as he behaves like a demi-god.
He raised the alarm that the administration of Emenike has jettisoned the role and conditions of peace facilitated by the Customs Consultative Council(CCC) which helped to broker peace that gave way to the election that brought him in as President.
He revealed that they went as far as reporting the CCC to the CGC.
Goaded by Chief Elochukwu who said that the association has no need for CCC again as they can no longer dictate to them, the Emenike Nwekeoji-led administration has completely desecrated the terms and conditions of the peace deal brokered by the CCC.”
” During the peace arrangement facilitated by the CCC, it was agreed that since the Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha -faction has taken the chairmanship of the BOT, the presidency should be zoned to the Farinto faction.
“But they quickly brought in Emenike from nowhere to contest the election against our candidate and he won.
“We allow this breach of agreement to slide for peace’s sake.”Also, it was decided that ASECO should be constituted with eight members, four from each faction while the Farinto faction should produce the chairman.
“No sooner did Alloy Anakwuru become the chairman, than he died.
“Our replacement in the person of Emeka Igwe was eventually frustrated to resign.”He was never allowed to work as a series of allegations and accusations were thrown at him until he was forced to resign.
“This is the bone of contention and a sure way to return the association to the much-avoided crisis” Prince Ozo Chukwura disclosed.” We have overlooked so much of their excesses and desecration of the peace agreement to allow peace to reign.
“They allowed people who were not qualified to vote, people who have not contributed anything to the association, they were given a waiver to vote while our people were disenfranchised.”Though we protested, the CCC asked us to give peace a chance and we did.
“But now they want to overreach themselves and reopen the old wounds which we shall revisit if need be” the ANLCA chieftain warned.
He also lamented that all his entreaties to the ANLCA President to reconcile all the aggrieved members were ignored. Prince Ozo Chukwura however advised Emenike and his lieutenants to work towards peace in ANLCA as his current action is capable of flitering away the little gains achieved during the period of fragile peace in the association.
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