An Abuja-based human rights lawyer, Osuagwu Ugochukwu, has condemned what he described as malicious and frivolous report against the Nigerian Navy.
Ugochukwu, who spoke in Abuja, said the authorities of the Nigeria Navy should have taken up legal action against the false and malicious report.
There have been reports in the media that the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, accepted over $170 million in bribes or related sums as well as alleged involvement in multi-billion-naira contract splitting fraud.
Ugochukwu said the claim that the CNS awarded 30 contracts in November 2023 is bereft of facts.
He called on the media to verify information before rushing to the press.
He said the law shows that the Nigerian Navy does not award oil related contracts, „these are within the vires and competence of the NNPCL or Ministry of Petroleum“.
The lawyer said, „There is no single proof that the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) accepted over $170 million in bribes or related sums as well as alleged involvement in multi-billion-naira contract splitting fraud. The claim that the Chief of Naval Staff awarded 30 contracts in November 2023 is bereft of facts. For instance, in the 2023 Appropriation Act only 26 Contracts/projects were budgeted for the Nigerian Navy. Nine were ongoing projects which preceded the Chief of Naval staff. Only 17 are new projects/contracts budgeted for in 2023.“
He said none of the contract or project in the document of the Nigerian Navy shows that they are oil related.
He said the policing of the water ways is part of the sole statutory duty of the Nigerian Navy and the claim that private company was not allowed to inspect certain ships detained by the Navy should not arise as they have no such power except the Navy.
„The Navy is saddled with the responsibility of protecting our territorial waters from crude oil theft. According to regulations, the private surveillance firm is to simply furnish the Nigerian Navy with intelligence on suspected crude oil theft. No private firm has the power to arrest or detain vessels aside the Navy and other law enforcement agencies.
„It‘s on record that Nigeria‘s crude oil output rose to an all-time high of 1.35 million barrels per day in September 2023 under the leadership of Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, as the country pumped its highest volume of crude oil so far in 2023.
„Latest figures obtained from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, showed that the country‘s output in September was about 14 per cent higher than what it pumped in the preceding month of August 2023.
„Further analysis of figures obtained from the NUPRC indicated that in January, February and March of 2023, the country‘s oil outputs were 1,266,659bpd; 1,292,240bpd; and 1,266,737bpd respectively before the current Chief of Naval staff assumed office. Interestingly, Nigeria‘s crude oil production rose to 1.41 million barrels per day in December 2023, from 1.31 million bpd in November 2023. These clearly show that oil theft has been reduced to its barest minimum under Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla.
„Thus, it is as crystal as light that the trending publication against the Chief of Naval Staff and Nigerian Navy lacks facts and is maliciously frivolous,“ he said.
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