The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NIMASA

  • Appeal court overrules N7 billion judgment against NIMASA

    An Appeal Court in Lagos has upturned a N7 billion the judgment delivered against Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) by Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court.

    Justice Abang had in a suit filed against NIMASA by Henmor Nigeria Limited, ordered the agency to pay N7 billion to the plaintiff for arresting and detaining its cargo vessel, M.T. AGBOMIEN.

    Dissatisfied by the verdict of the lower court, NIMASA through its lawyers, Louis Mbanefo (SAN), Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) and Dr. Fabian Ajogwu (SAN), appealed Justice Abang’s decision.

    The respondent (Henmor Nigeria Limited) through its counsel, Kola Awodein (SAN) filed their brief urging the appellate court to dismiss NIMASA’s appeal.

    But in a unanimous judgment delivered on Friday by Justice Chinwe Iyizoba, the appellate court ordered the return of the judgment sum to NIMASA.

    The court held that there were no credible evidence upon which judgment was entered in favour of the respondent at the trial court. It aligned itself with the appellant’s arguments that the detained vessel was unseaworthy going by the provisions of the Merchant Shipping Act, therefore, was justifiably detained.

    “On the claim of $7,000 per day as cost of hiring the vessel, the documents of the charter ought to have been pleaded and tendered to prove the item of loss, but this was not done.

    “Also, as regards the $25 million claimed by the respondents as the estimated value of the vessel M.T. AGBOMIEN, the basis of arriving at that figure was not placed before the court to enable it determine if that was a fair and credible estimate before awarding same.

    “The truth is that the respondent failed to plead full particulars of the various heads of damages claimed and also failed to strictly prove them. The awards by the lower court cannot therefore stand,” the court held.

    According to the appellate court, the power of the regulatory agency, NIMASA, to detain vessels on the basis of the Merchant Shipping Act cannot be disputed.

  • 50 cheers for Warri prince

    50 cheers for Warri prince

    Prince Raymond Temisan Omatseye, maritime lawyer and former Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Safety and Administration (NIMASA), who turned 50 last Wednesday, held a thanksgiving service at the Overcomers’ Church, Admiralty Way, Lekki, on Sunday, and later capped it with a shindig at the Havilah Events Centre, Oniru Estate, Victoria Island, Lagos, where family members, friends and well-wishers from far and near made the occasion a very memorable one for the prince of Warri Kingdom. The roll-call included Chief Sam Amuka Pemu, publisher, Vanguard newspapers, and a host of other dignitaries. Muyiwa Hassan was there.

  • NIMASA partners agencies to fight maritime crimes

    The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is strengthening its relationship with other security agencies toward fighting illegal bunkering and other maritime crimes, an official said.

    NIMASA’s Director of Shipping Development, Capt. Warredi Enisuoh, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Friday that the agency and other relevant agencies had been strengthening the relationships through the signing Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs).

    Enisuoh said it was necessary for all relevant agencies to collaborate to tackle the maritime security problems as no one agency could do so alone.

    “The challenges with other agencies are getting minimal now because we are addressing all those challenges by virtue of signing MoUs’ and you can see the MoUs are building up.

    “As the MoU is built up, our strengths also build, as the strengths of other agencies involved.

    “So there is no one agency that can tackle all problems and that is why we have to come together.

    “We’ve been sharing information. As you know, NIMASA is a regulatory body; we also gather a lot of intelligence.

    “However, we do not have the power to prosecute. We also do not have power of arrest.

    “So we have to pass this information to those with the power of arrest and the power of detention, which is one of the biggest cooperating areas that we have ever worked on.“

    He said that NIMASA had stopped many maritime crimes, adding that crimes committed at sea reduced in 2013 owing to the collaborative efforts of relevant agencies.

    The director said that one of the objectives of the regulatory agencies in the maritime industry was to reduce sea crime to zero level.

    He said that NIMASA had put in place the necessary surveillance that would enable it to achieve its target just as it acquired more boats to empower the armed forces to assist the agency in protecting the nation’s waters.

    Enisuoh urged the Federal Government not to relent in supporting the agency in its quest to free Nigerian ports of illegal activities.

  • Ex-NIMASA DG’s trial: I did not see any contract file, says witness

    A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of former Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Raymond Omatseye, Tuesday told the court that he did not see any file for the award of contract.

    The witness, Aliyu Aliyu had on Monday, told the Justice Rita Ofile-Ajumogobia presided court that Omatseye inflated the contract from N100 million budgeted to N129 million.

    He also told the court that the accused awarded the contract to a firm, Daniel Nigeria Limited, which was not pre-qualified for the contract.

    But led in cross-examination by Omotseye’s lawyer, Olusina Sofola (SAN), Aliyu told the court that though an employee at the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), he never had the privilege of perusing the contract files, and so, could not safely conclude that advertisement by NIMASA, were in or not the file.

    He told the court that the exhibits shown to him by the prosecutor included PD 16, 17 and 18 series, which showed the supply of Blackberry phones and Generators to NIMASA, which he only came in contact with in February when he was invited to testify.

    Aliyu also testified that from the documents he saw, there was nothing to suggest that Omatseye conspired to award the inflated contract to a particular company.

    When asked why there were missing pages in the exhibit before the court, the witness said he would not know since he was not the one who prepared nor tendered the documents.

    Justice Ajumogobia at this point, adjourned the case to April 22 and 23 for continuation of trial.
    Omatseye is standing trial on an amended 27-count charge of alleged contract scam preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    He was re-arraigned on January 21, last year to which he pleaded not guilty and was granted bail.

    According to the charge sheet, the accused was said to have engaged in contract splitting and bid rigging estimated at over N1.5 billion.

    The alleged offence was said to have contravened Section 14(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004, as well as Sections 58(4)(d) of the Public Procurement Act 2007.

  • How ex-NIMASA DG awarded inflated contracts

    A Federal High Court in Lagos Thursday heard how a former Director-General of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Raymond Omatseye, allegedly awarded an inflated contract for the supply of generator set to a company that did not qualify.

    Prosecution witness, Aliyu Aliyu at the resumed trial of Omatseye told the Justice Rita Ofile-Ajumogobia presided court that N100 million was budgeted for the supplies but Omatseye awarded N129 million to Daniel Nigeria Limited.

    He said Daniel Nigeria was not among a list of pre-qualified bidders published in a newspaper on September 11, 2009.

    Aliyu said another company, Marine Gold Limited bidded N84 million to get the job done, while Daniel Holdings submitted a N100 million bid.

    “The award is higher than the bid price of N100, 001, 475,” Aliyu said.

    “From the 21 pre-qualified names, I cannot find Daniels Nigeria Limited,” the witness said.

    According to him, another contract for the supply of 100 Blackberry phones was not advertised in two national newspapers as statutorily required.

    “A contract is null and void, and a nullity if not advertised in a national newspaper.

    “I did not see any document containing attendance list of participants with their numbers at the bid opening,” he said.

    On whether an agency’s Governing Board can approve contracts, Aliyu told the court that a parastatal’s governing board has no business with contract awards.

    “The Governing Board has no role to play in the procurement process. The tenders board is the body saddled with the responsibility of awarding contracts,” he said.

    EFCC re-arraigned Omatseye before Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia on an amended 27-count charge bordering on contract scam.

    Omatseye pleaded not guilty to all the counts. His re-arraignment was due to the transfer of the former trial judge, Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako.

    The accused person was charged with alleged illegal transfer of NIMASA’s funds and contract splitting estimated at over N1.5 billion. The trial continues Tuesday.

  • Reps flay Commission over N400m Service Wide Vote

    The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts yesterday grilled the National Planning Commission (NPC) over alleged missing N400 million it received from the Service Wide Vote.

    The Secretary of the commission, Ntufam Fidel Ugbo, could not give adequate answers on the N400 million the Budget Office said it gave the Commission in 2012.

    The Chairman of the Committee, Solomon Adeola Olamilekan, requested the Secretary to the Commission to present the committee with the transaction details.

    Also yesterday, the Committee summoned the Director- General of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Patrick Ziakede Apkobolokemi, to appear before it today over alleged mismanagement of funds.

    The lawmaker said if he fails to appear before the committee, it would have no option than to issue a warrant of arrest on him.

    He said the decision of the committee is hinged on the fact that over ten invitations had been extended to the NIMASA boss without him appearing to defend the Auditor-General of the Federation’s query against the agency.

    A member of the committee, Ossai Ossai, urged that should the NIMASA boss fail to appear today, a warrant of arrest should be issued against him.

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday denied collecting the N65 million under the Service Wide Vote as claimed by the Budget Office.

    Its Chairman, Alhaji Ahmadu Giade, said the agency did not receive such funds.

    Giade said the last time the agency received money from the Budget Office was in April 2009. He said it was paid N52 million. The NDLEA chief said he was not aware of the receipt of N65.2 million in October 2009.

    The committee fixed another date for further hearing of the case, urging the NDLEA boss to ensure safe custody of the official documents.

  • Senate Committee gives NIMASA pass mark

    The Senate Committee on Marine Transport has given the Nigerian Maritime Safety Administration Agency (NIMASA) a pass mark over what it called the successful implementation of its last year’s budget.

    Speaking at the agency’s Headquarters in Lagos, its Chairman, Hajia Zaynab Kure, said they were happy that the management of NIMASA did well on the projects it embarked upon last year, urging its Director-General, Mr Patrick Akpobolokemi to keep the good job.

    Briefing the Senators, Akpobolokemi said the agency had a good working relationship with the military and other security agencies to reduce piracy, oil theft and stem the cycle of criminalities on the nation’s territorial waters.

    “We have awarded contract for the installation of radars and GNPS in our entire domain, and in the next few months, we should be able to capture vessels that operate in our maritime domain and that will increase our anti piracy war, oil theft campaign and help stop all illegalities in our maritime domain,” he said.

    NIMASA, Akpobolokemi said, has also given about N5 billion to four universities for establishment of maritime training institutions and that they have started operating apart from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN),S where he said, internal wrangling is affecting the take-off of the programme.

  • IBBU maritime institute: NIMASA warns contractors

    The Nigerian Maritime Adminstration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has warned contractors handling the construction of the Institute of Maritime Studies Complex at the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai that it would not compromise standards.

    The Chief Consultant to the agency, Alex Karpe gave the warning in Lapai while introducing the contractors handling the various aspects of the project to the university’s management.

    Stressing the importance the agency attaches to the project, which will be executed in phases, the Consultant urged the contractors to ensure that works are done according to specifications and schedule.

    He then said the first phase of the project will comprise of basic infrastructural facilities that would enhance learning, research and knowledge banking in the field of maritime studies.

    Karpe, an architect, added that construction of library/archives and Academic block of lecture theatre and auditorium as well as the administrative complex, Information Management Centre and access road, electricity supply, street light and water supply and distribution, will also be done in the first phase.

    The IBBU Vice Chancellor, Prof Ibrahim Adamu Kolo, applauded the federal government for establishing the Maritime Institute through NIMASA in the institution.

    He said the institute would assist the university in her developmental process of becoming one of the best centres of learning and research in the country.

    Kolo also commended the role of Chairperson, Senate Committee on Maritime Transportation, Senator Zaynab Kure in the establishment of the institute in IBBUL.

    He charged the contractors to justify the resource for the projects by ensuring quality works and timely delivery.

     

  • NIMASA cautions firms against polluting ports

    The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has warned shipping companies against polluting the ports. It said it had adopted best practices to protect marine resources from ship pollution.

    NIMASA’s Director-Geenral, Patrick Akpobolokemi urged the firms to use the waterways well or face the law, adding that pollution must be tackled to make the waterways cleaner.

    He said he was not happy that general environmental issues were not considered by some oil and gas firms in the country.

    NIMASA, he said, would soon issue roadmap on Marine Waste Management in Nigeria.

    He said NIMASA would domesticate some International Maritime Organisation (IMO) codes and conventions to protect the maritime sector.

    Akpobolokemi said IMO and domestic laws were considered in planning the road map structured to provide the ideal platform to grow the business of managing waste generated in the maritime environment.

    He plegded the agency’s support for public-private partnership model to facilitate effective management of ship-generated waste within the marine and coastal environment.

    Chairman, Sea and Cargo Logistics Raphael Christopher alleged that many foreign ships were polluting the nation’s territorial waters with waste and depleting fish stocks.

    At a seminar organised by sea workers in Lagos, he urged the Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, to fashion out a policy that will facilitate effective management of ship-generated waste within the marine and coastal environment.

    Christopher said 28 countries, with an aggregate merchant shipping tonnage of 26.37 per cent of the world total, have ratified the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) convention.

  • Reps summon minister, Shell over Bonga oil spill

    … DPR, NIMASA, NOSDRA to meet lawmakers

    The House of Representatives has summoned the Minister of Environment, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) over compensation issues following the December 20, 2011 Bonga oil spill.

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) were also invited among others.

    The minister and others were expected to explain the effects of chemical dispersants used by Shell to disperse the said oil spillage on the sea.

    What is due to the communities as compensation would also be discussed.

    The affected communities alleged that the dispersant led to disruption of their fishing activities and other sources of livelihood, saying the oil company has not been forthcoming.

    The communities are spread between Warri North, Warri South West and Burutu Local Government Councils of Delta State as well as Ekeremor, Southern Ijaw and Brass Local Government Councils of Bayelsa State.