Headlines

Too many people are after my job in NIMASA—-Jamoh cries out, explains reasons for malicious campaign against him

Bashir Jamoh, DG, NIMASA

The Eyewitness Reporter

Dr Bashir Jamoh, the Director General of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has given an insight into the barrage of allegations against him in recent times in some sections of the media.

Reacting to the recent attack on him which borders on financial prolificacy, nepotism and corruption, the DG of NIMASA said all these campaigns of calumny are sponsored by people who are after his job in NIMASA.

Speaking with an online medium, The Nigerian Economy, in a telephone interview from Ghana where he was attending a conference, the embattled NIMASA DG declared that he was tired of hearing the barrage of allegations which has become a pastime for his distractors.

He also attributed his travails to his close relationship with former President Mohammed Buhari which he claimed his accusers are exploiting to drag him in the media.

Jamoh is married to Buhari’s niece and his daughter is married to Buhari’s nephew.

“From what I gathered, one, they (his enemies) are looking at my relationship with the previous government.

“Two, too many people are after my seat. I think they are the ones sponsoring all these malicious accusations, but it is not enough for me to deny the accusations.

“I want to charge all journalists to delve into the issues and see for themselves, whatever accusations they have against me”

Jamoh said he was getting tired of hearing the myriads of accusations against him, wondering what it all portends for his enemies and the country at large.

Jamoh denied all the accusations and reports of corruption against him saying that budgeting is done according to the needs and priorities of the agency and approved by the national assembly.

“Some of these allegations have gone to the SSS. I am very tired. I think in the future many good people won’t like to work for the government because there is no point for me burning my youthful age serving my country.

“I spent seven years serving Kaduna State Government, and now, 30 years serving the Federal Government, only for somebody to take paper and biro and start to write fictitious lies against me. What will I do with this money?

“This is not the first time these people are doing this. They alleged that I have N45 trillion. The entire budget of NIMASA from its days as NMA till today is not up to that.

“The bank they said I have N1.5 trillion, the entire banking assets and deposit of that bank are not up to N1.5 trillion.

” I have never maintained an account with Fidelity Bank. I don’t have a foreign account and I don’t have any company account.

“My account is one salary account. So how do I get that money? They said that I inflated the NIMASA budget.

“How do I inflate the budget, when the budget goes through the national assembly?

“They said the budget for training went up by 500%. I was the head of training at the agency before I was promoted to the Executive Director level.

“Since 2020 when we had COVID, we don’t have large sums for training.

” This matter was taken to the National Assembly and is well known.

“Journalists can visit our office and ask for our financial reports. I am always transparent.”

Jamoh insisted that he was not ready to join issues with his detractors, noting that he deliberately declined approval to all statements written by the agency’s Public Relations Department in reaction to some of the allegations.

“Just last week, the same media organization reported that we didn’t deploy the Deep Blue project. Can you imagine that?

” The Nigerian Navy, Army and Air Force are the ones manning the assets, not NIMASA and the Navy came to NIMASA recently to explain that these assets have been deployed and they are using them.

” The President wrote to direct us to release air platforms to the Nigerian Air Force, water platforms to the Navy and land assets to the Nigerian Army.

“And these assets were deployed accordingly and we have even seen the effect in the recent reduction in piracy.

“I am in Ghana now, and the Chief of Army staff is here too. He was the one who spoke on the operations of the Deep Blue Project and everybody was clapping.

“Last year, we had the NISA (Nigerian Indigenous Shipowners Association) dinner and the Nigerian Navy disclosed that their capacity had been increased by 50%.

“I have been quiet. The agency’s communication department has been writing but I don’t want to react by myself to these unfounded allegations.

” I want journalists to write. I just read here in Ghana about a civil society organization protesting in Abuja saying that allegations about me are a distraction. I don’t know them, but I am just reading it now here in Ghana.”

He maintained that every agency’s budget is tailored to meet the needs of the agency.

“If the budget increases, it depends on the priorities that we have. I don’t know what they saying, but I can state that nobody took a kobo for doing nothing.

“The training we had we made it more elaborate and tried to divide the training in terms of professionalism.

“So many professional trainings we were not doing before, now we do. I have put the agency on the global maritime page.

“Before I took over the management of the agency, we didn’t have any vessel.

“Now we have five brand new vessels built with bulletproof,” he said.”

Headlines

NIWA partners ICPC to strengthen internal transparency in its operations

Gloria Odion, Maritime Reporter

The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has announced new strategies aimed at improving its operational system and enhancing collaboration with key stakeholders as part of efforts to boost efficiency and accountability.

Speaking at a post event Press Conference at NIWA Headquarters Lokoja, the Acting Managing Director, Umar Yusuf Girei, while answering questions from journalists stated that, the organization convened a two -day Executive and Anti-Corruption training with the theme “Strengthening Integrity and Revenue System in Inland Waterways Management” organized for Board Members, Management and Area Managers and also 2026 NIWA Management Retreat in Abuja.

The Acting MD noted as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,with the support Adegboyega Oyetola, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, the Authority is focused on aligning institutional goals in ensuring better service delivery to Nigerians.

He further said, as part of its anti-corruption drive, the Management held discussions with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to explore measures for strengthening transparency within its operations.

Girei therefore, assured staff that the ongoing reforms under his watch would translate into improved service and better working conditions.

“NIWA remains committed to continuous improvement and stakeholder engagement and the reforms are expected to enhance both internal performance and public confidence”. he stated.

Headlines

Navy appoints new Maritime Guard Commander for NIMASA

Gloria Odion, Maritime Reporter

The Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, has approved the appointment of Commodore Reginald Odeodi Adoki as the Commander of the Maritime Guard Command at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

Commodore Adoki takes over from Commodore H.C Oriekeze who has been redeployed.

Commodore Adoki, a principal Warfare Officer specializing in communication and intelligence, brings onboard 25 years experience in the Nigerian Navy covering training, staff and operations.

As a seaman, he has commanded NNS Andoni, NNS Kyanwa and NNS Kada.

It was under his command that NNS Kada under took her maiden voyage, sailing from the country of build (the United Arab Emirates) into Nigeria.

He was commissioned into the Nigerian Navy in 2000 with a BSc in Mathematics.

He has since earned a Masters in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos and an M.Sc in Terrorism, Security and Policing at University of Leicester, England.

He is currently pursuing a Ph.D in Defence and Security Studies at the National Defence Academy (NDA).

He is a highly decorated officer with several medals for distinguished service.

Welcoming the new MGC Commander to the Agency, the Director General, Dr Dayo Mobereola, expressed confidence in Adoki’s addition to the team, emphasising that it will further strengthen the nation’s maritime security architecture given his vast experience in the industry.

The Maritime Guard Command domiciled in NIMASA was established as part of the resolutions of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian Navy to assist NIMASA strengthen operational efficiency in Nigeria’s territorial waters, especially through enforcement of security, safety and other maritime regulations.

Customs

Customs collects N1.585 trillion from 51 compliant traders under AEO programme

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Authorized Economic Operator (AEO), one of the trade facilitation tools introduced by the Nigeria Customs Service in 2025, has begun to yield bountiful harvests with the revenue growth of ₦362.79 billion recorded in 2025.

According to the AEO scorecard released by the Service, the facilitation tool grossed the sum of N1.585 trillion after certification, an increase revenue from N1.222 trillion before certification.

This represents the growth of N362.79 billion(29.68 per cent) for 51 AEO – certified entities as at October, 2025.

The Programme, according to the NCS, also contributed 21.77% to its total revenue collection of ₦7.281 trillion in 2025, while customs duties paid rose by 85.66% due to enhanced compliance and increased volumes of legitimate trade.

According to AEO Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Report, the Programme achieved an average compliance rate of 85.45 per cent with the highest at 100 per cent and the lowest at 60 per cent.

“The evaluation applied rigorous methodologies to ensure objectivity, transparency, and alignment with the World Customs Organisation (WCO) SAFE Framework of Standards and the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.

“In the area of trade facilitation, AEO participation reduced average cargo clearance time from 168 hours to 41 hours, representing a 75.60% time saving.

“Company operating costs declined by 57.2 per cent while demurrage payments dropped by 90 per cent, limiting capital flight to foreign-owned port service providers and strengthening foreign exchange retention.

” Overall trade efficiency improved by 77.11 per through digitalisation, simplified procedures, and targeted risk management” the Customs declared in the AEO scorecard.

However, the Service singled out with Eight companies for commendation due to their integrity and compliance under the programme.

The companies include Coleman Technical Industries Limited, WACOT Rice Limited, ROMSON Oil Field Services Ltd, WACOT Limited, Chi Farms Ltd, CORMART Nigeria Ltd, PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc, Nigerian Bottling Company Limited and MTN Nigeria Communications Plc.

The Service lauded them for a cumulative voluntary remittance of over a billion naira into the Federation Account following their self-initiated transaction review and disclosure.

“These actions reflect the strengthening of post-clearance audit mechanisms and a growing culture of voluntary compliance within the trading community.

Nevertheless, the Service suspended a firm under the programme for its non- compliance and display of lack of integrity.

The suspended firm engaged in false declaration of consignments contrary to programme obligations.

“Consequently, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, directed the immediate suspension of the company’s AEO status in accordance with the AEO Guidelines, the WCO SAFE Framework of Standards, and Section 112 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.

The NCS reiterated that the AEO Programme is founded on trust, transparency, and continuous compliance.

“While compliant operators will continue to benefit from expedited clearance and reduced inspection, appropriate sanctions will be applied where violations are established.

“The Service remains resolute in safeguarding national revenue, facilitating legitimate trade, and preserving the integrity and global credibility of Nigeria’s AEO framework” the NCS concluded in the report.