By Daniel Tyokua
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called for accountability and prosecution of officials of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) over selling of 82 vehicles for the sum of N5.8 million in the last past 12 years.
The Association described the action as a gross violation of the Public Procurement Act, 2007 and other relevant laws and regulations.
A statement issued by HURIWA’s national coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko on Tuesday, said the issue was a clear case of economic sabotage, corruption, and abuse of public trust that must not go unpunished.
The statement condemned in strong terms the manner in which NIMASA disposed of public assets without due process, transparency, accountability, and fair value.
It reads: “The vehicles, which were mostly in good condition and serviceable, were sold at ridiculously low prices to some officials and staff of the agency in a pre-arranged insider trading scheme.
“The proceeds of the sales were not remitted to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) account as required by law, but rather paid into NIMASA’s coffers by the auctioneers who were hired to rubber stamp the fictitious transactions.
“We are shocked and disappointed that the NIMASA Executive Director, Mr. Chudi Offodile, who appeared before the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the disposal of public property by the agencies between 2010 and 2022, could not provide any documentary evidence to justify his claim that the sale followed due process”
The statement explained that, Offodile also admitted that he was not aware of the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2007, which is a serious oversight for someone in his position.
The group commends the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee, chaired by Hon. Julius Ihonbvere, for exposing this scandal and demanding for more documents and evidence from NIMASA and other agencies involved in the sale of public assets.
“We urge the committee to be thorough, diligent, and impartial in its inquiry and report its findings to the House and the public. We also urge the committee to resist any attempt to use this as a bait to collect bribes and bury the matter, but rather ensure that this matter is logically concluded and culprits jailed”
