Kunle Kalejaye 16 October 2015, Sweetcrude, Lagos – The Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, has explained the comment made by its Acting Director General, Haruna Baba Jauro on the agency’s maritime security contract withGlobal West Vessel Specialists Limited, belonging to former Niger Delta militant, Mr Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo.
Jauro made the comments during his recent working visit to the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas.NIMASA, in a statement signed by it Head of Public Relations, Hajia Lami Tumaka, said: “It is instructive to note that Mr. Haruna Jauro did not at any point during the said visit, or at any other fora for that matter, defend ‘Tompolo’s maritime security contract’ because there is no such contract in the first place.
“What the DG said and which should be put on record is that “Global West Vessel Specialists Limited (GWVSL) has an existing Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement with NIMASA wherein the vendor’s mandate involves procuring, bunkering and operating platforms on behalf of NIMASA on a Supply, Operate and Transfer (SOT) basis for a 10 year period as approved by the Federal Government in 2012 and it is presently in its third year.
“According to Mr. Jauro, the vessels, which ownership will revert to NIMASA after the contract period, are manned by officials of NIMASA and personnel of the Nigerian Navy for the enforcement of the Agency’s mandate.
“This is not the same thing with a maritime security contract as many publications have alleged. It is therefore mischievous for anyone to allude that the Director General of NIMASA has defended a maritime security contract being executed by Tompolo on behalf of the Agency”.
