By Suzan Okenwa (National Assembly Correspondent)
It was bad news for Dr Bashir Yusuf Jamoh, Director General of the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and some officials of his agency as the Senate Committee on Public Accounts has ordered the immediate arrest of the DG over the discovery of an alleged fraud amounting to $5 million said to have been paid to a legal firm by NIMASA as professional fees for the recovery of $9.3 billion loss.
According to the Senate's Public Accounts Committee, the said $5 million was found to be an agreed five percent of the amount which was allegedly paid for the intelligence based tracking of global movement of Nigerian Hydro-Carbon and recovery of loss by the Federal Government of Nigeria in the sum of $9.3 billion, between 2013 and 2014.
Senator Matthew Urhoghide, Chairman of the Committee, revealed that NIMASA had earlier been summoned by his Committee to appear before it to offer explanation at the circumstances of the said payment but the agency ignored the invitation. A livid Senator Urhoghide however said the committee had no option than to issue a warrant of arrest on the Director General of the agency.
“We have invited NIMASA up to three times but they have failed to honour our invitations. This committee has no other option than to issue a warrant of arrest against the Director General of the agency. They can come to the National Assembly for the appropriation of funds but when it is time to give an account, they will be nowhere to be found.
“The committee has invited NIMASA up to three times for the explanation on the payment of $5 million as professional fee and details of $9.3 billion loss by the Federal Government but the agency declined the invitation,” Urhoghide explained.
It was revealed through a report by the Auditor General of the Federation that NIMASA had refused every bid the AG to look into the details of $9.3 billion loss by the Federal Government. NNL.
