By Chuks Ehirim/North
Transport Minister Idris Umar risks a query from President Goodluck Jonathan for allegedly flaunting a directive to facilitate the re-opening of the offices of the Nigerian Merchant Navy Security and Safety Corps (NMNSSC).
Umar reportedly shunned a meeting he scheduled for March 21 in his office between himself and NMNSSC Director General, Commodore Benson Edema.
Idris Umar, Transport Minister
NMNSSC officers were invited for the meeting in a letter to enable them re-open the offices as directed by Aso Rock.
The letter containing the directive, signed by B. M. Okoye, Principal Liaison Officer and Special Assistant to Jonathan, is dated February 25, 2014 with reference SH/SAP/P/002/Vol.11/389.
It states in part: “I write to introduce and recommend Commodore Allen Benson Edema, the D.G. Commandant of the Merchant Navy Security and Safety Corps, whose office has been closed down for some time now and needs your kind assistance to re-open for operation.
“It would be appreciated if you could accord him the necessary assistance by re-opening the issues and re-open the office as appropriate.”
Umar instructed his Maritime Services Director, M.S. Nagogo, to invite Edema for a meeting. Nagogo wrote a letter on March 19 which scheduled the meeting for March 21. But Umar did not honour it.
Edema said Umar’s absence has caused a setback to the re-opening of the offices of the Merchant Navy which is eager to join in the monitoring of Nigeria’s territorial waters.