Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, under the aegis of Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria (CCSON) yesterday, debunked allegations of budget inflation, and secret employment levelled against the director general, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Bashir Jamoh, saying they are unfounded and lies from detractors.
This was contained in an address delivered during a press conference organised by the coalition, which was read by the national secretary, CCSON, Comrade Dele Anifowoshe in Abuja.
Anifowoshe pointed out that 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 him, they had done their investigations that showed that the allegations were handiwork of detractors whose dirty businesses have been taken away and now are fighting back by using some sections of the media to report unverified facts.
He said, “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) Director General, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, over alleged financial infractions which are not true as they make Nigerians to believe a lie.
“From our investigations which indicated that the stories and report put out there are all tissues of lies and baseless.
“It’s unfortunate, 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 does not mean well for our country and peace.
“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 goal-getter who has transformed the image of the agency, therefore, he has attracted local and international recognitions 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 his 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, of which the agency has 60 per cent of directors as women.
“He has been able through his proactive and pragmatic steps made the Agency to 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 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.
