Akpobolokemi, ex-NIMASA boss, may be prosecuted

FUNSO OLOJO

The last week Thursday sack of Patrick Akpobolokemi, the immediate past Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency(NIMASA) may  be a prelude to the comprehensive audit exercise of the super-rich government parastatal to determine the level of financial infraction allegedly committed by former NIMASA lord.

Hallmark gathered that the first major assignment of whoever emerges as the Transport Minister is to institute a presidential panel of inquiry into the tenure of the Bayelsa state- born former University lecturer.

The proposed panel has its area of focus cut out for it which includes but not limited to the administration of the controversial Cabotage Vessel Financing Funds(CVFF), the expenditures involved in the multi-billion naira Maritime university and Ship yard projects at Okerenkoko, the over $100million recovered debt from the NLNG, the multi-billion capacity programme of National Seafarers  Development programme(NSDP), the multi-billion maritime domain security contract by Global West Vessel Specialist Nigeria Limited(GWVSNL) and the alleged withdrawal of N447million from the treasury under the guise of International Ship and ports Security Facility(ISPS)code.

The CVFF has been controversial and mysterious. The accruals from the statutory  two per cent from the Cabotage contracts by indigenous ship owners has been a subject of conjecture and easily lends itself to speculations about the accrual amount so far accrued over 10 years ago.

The amount, which has been variously put at N60billion, N70billion and N80billion,is yet to be disbursed to the indigenous shipowners  ten years after the programme started.

Even though, the sacked NIMASA DG has variously absolved his administration from the delay in disbursement as , according to him, the Minister of Transport was the approving authority, allegations were rife that the NIMASA management under the sacked Akpobolokemi, may have depleted the Cabotage funds on  functions other than what it was meant for.

Also, the controversial maritime security contract given to GWVSNL said to be owned by Government Ekpomupoloa.k .a Tompolo,  Niger-Delta ex- militant lord, was another area which stakeholders believed should be looked into as it served as a potent conduit pipe to siphon money.

In June, the pioneer Chairman of the Board of NIMASA, AlhajiTijjaniRamalan alleged that Tompolo’s company was being paid N1.5billion monthly by NIMASA to execute the contract.

Industry stakeholders also raised an eye brow at the N20billion which NIMASA claimed it spent on the 2500 cadets at maritime institutions abroad which indigenous ship owners dismissed as not only a phantom figures but a sheer waste as they said they are not employable without the mandatory sea time training which they said they lack.

”NSDP, to me, is a jamboree”, an indigenous ship owner once said.

” The programme was even skewed in the favour of candidate from the Niger-Delta who make of about 90 per cent of its beneficiaries”, another ship owner claimed.

Questions were also being raise about the whereabouts of the $100m recovered debt from NLNG which stakeholders said was not accounted for by the NIMASA administration under its sack Chief Executive Officer.

”Akpobolokemi make an issue a public one. It even became a litigation war between NIMASA and NLNG. But when the debt was eventually recovered, NIMASA management kept mum”, a maritime industry analyst observed.

The Ex- NIMASA strongman was also alleged to have requested and got approval for N447millilon for the implementation of ISPS code.

A non-governmental organization called Citizens United for Peace and Stability, through its leader, one DrIdris Ahmed, alleged that Akpobolokemi made ” last-minute withdrawals from the national treasury under the guise of National security by NIMASA, former NSA and the office of former President Goodluck Jonathan”

”On 15/04/2015,Mr. Ziakede P. Akpobolokemi wrote the former NSA (SamboDasuki) requesting for N447 Million, being payment for a project called Implementation of International Ship and Port Facility Security. The bogus project was meant to be for consultancy, enforcement activities and verification/inspection exercise.

” On 22/04/2015, Mr. Dasuki duly wrote ex-President GEJ, endorsing the project. On 27/04/2015, ex-President GEJ wrote the former NSA swiftly approving it”

”In the letter, the Ex- NIMASA DG claimed that the sum would be for consultancy services (N96Million), enforcement, verification and inspection activities (N176Million). Others are 2015 Port Facility Security survey (N96Million), National Implementation Committee (N30Million) for meetings, tours and trips to countries where ISPS is working perfectly. It will also cover N6Million annual allowance”

”It took only 12 days for the act to committed. The level of theft at NIMASA can only be described as war crimes and crimes against humanity”, the group claimed.

Akpobolokemi has been the most powerful NIMASA DG as he enjoyed unhindered access to the Presidency.

His power and influence was exhibited when he caused the removal of three Executive Directors because he said he could not work with them.

More dramatic was the redeployment of the then Minister of Transprot ,AlhajiIssa Suleiman to the Ministry of Sports as a result of his disagreement with Akpobolokemi in 2012. AlhajiIssa was subsequently dropped in a minor cabinet reshuffle that followed the incident.

Such was the power welded by the former University teacher that the other Executive Directors appointed thereafter and the succeeding Minister of Transport, all stood in awe of the NIMASA lord.

Akpobolokemi consequently leverage on his closeness to the Presidency which he maximally exploited to rule the agency like an Emperor.

However, he got over-confident when he delved into partisan politics, allegedly sponsoring hate campaigns against Mohammed Buhari, the then Presidential Candidate of All Progressive Congress(APC) during the 2015 Presidential Election.

Akpobolokemi was so audacious that he called a press conference on a Sunday to threaten legal action against the party if it failed to retract its allegations of financial impropriety.

He(Akpobolokemi)  was naïve to have openly supported former President Jonathan. As a civil servant, he should have been discreet and circumspect in his political support. Now that he has shot himself on the foot and the chicken has come home to roast.

Am not surprised at his sack, everybody including himself saw it coming”, a maritime industry commentator observed.