…Says allegation is baseless
Over 74 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), under the auspices of Coalition of Civil Society Organisation of Nigeria (COCSON) have supported the position of the management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), over the allegation made by Femi Falana on the Agency’s acquisition of properties abroad.
Recall that the Human Rights Lawyer, Falana, during his appearance on Channels TV recently accused NIMASA of purchasing three properties in the United Kingdom.
“NIMASA has just brought three properties in England under this regime. For what?” Falana queried.
“Just to take out dollars. Please, let us run this country in the interest of our people. We are not a poor country, but the government is managed in such a way that poverty is in ascendancy,” falana said.
While reacting to the allegation, the leadership of COCSON expressed its disappointment over the accusations made by the legal luminary.
This was contained in a statement on Tuesday signed by some of the leaders of the Coalition, including, the President Transparency & Accountability Group, Comrade Ayo Ologun; Executive Director, African Leadership Strategy and Transparency Development Initiative, Comrade Nelson Ossaieze; President
Ijaw Youth Assembly, Comrade Dabara Dagogo; The Convener,
Centre for Public Accountability, Femi Lawson; President
Arewa Youth Congress, Nura Alkali; Convener, Transparency Initiative Project, Yemen Ngutor; and Executive Director, Pan African Society for Social and Economic Change Secretary COCSON, Basah Mohammed.
According to the Coalition, after a thorough investigation which COCSON had “contracted an independent investigator whose primary Terms of Reference was to investigate the accusations made by the respected Femi Falana, SAN against the management of NIMASA that it recently acquired no fewer than three properties in England, UK.
“We want to state today that the report from the investigation has been turned in, we also want to state that other persons who were consulted in this matter have unanimously agreed that the accusations are false.
“We want to state for the record that it is in the public knowledge that the Agency has not acquired any property abroad for the past 30 years.
“It is important to state categorically that NIMASA is one of the agencies of government which has good administration and high level of integrity.
“The Agency has also displayed a high level of compliance to the extant laws guiding its operations.
“While we don’t want to join issues with the learned gentleman, we indeed appreciate his opinions on topics of public concern but it is obvious that he may have been misguided by other persons on this matter.
“The NIMASA Director General, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, for the record, is known for his proven track records in the NIMASA which is devoid of any form of corruption and scandalous act.
“Dr. Jamoh, since his appointment has shown that he is a round peg in a round hole. Since his emergence, he has identified some of the problems in NIMASA and has successfully put in place solutions.
“Also, the accusations of nepotism, mismanagement of funds and awarding of fictitious contracts against Dr. Bashir Jamoh are false and baseless.
“As a matter of fact, employment under Jamoh has been transparent and devoid of any manipulation. Jamoh, as a person, has refused to directly get involved in employment.”
“We, therefore, appeal to those engaging in such smear campaign to desist from such acts and allow the Director General of NIMASA to concentrate on his duties.
“We also enjoin individuals and other anti-corruption vanguard to carry out their own investigations on the credibility of these claims,” the group stated.
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