Government functionaries who claim to know wreckers of the economy yet refuse to expose them for the benefit of the country have been flayed by maritime stakeholders.
This development has been described as a major cankerworm working against Nigeria’s maritime industry and other subsectors for that matter.
When the Transportation Minister, Hon Rotimi Amaechi, recently threatened to unmask those he described as cabals and saboteurs working against the success of the $195 million maritime security contract his ministry entered into with HLSI Security Firms & Technology Inc, an Israeli firm, he opened a floodgate of criticisms from stakeholders and industry operators who now doubt what he intended to achieve by the announcement.

Maritime stakeholders whose views were sought described the statement as a mark of insincerity on the part of a highly placed government official who must weigh the import of his statements before going public so as not to give an impression that he is undeserving of the exalted position he is occupying.

It would be recalled that speaking on the implementation of the executive order on the ease of doing business at a maritime stakeholders forum in Warri, Delta State, Thursday, Amaechi acknowledged that he is aware of some powerful Nigerians who are frustrating the implementation of the maritime security contract because they are the same people benefiting from insecurity on Nigerian waters.

He threatened that should the challenge of executing the $195 million maritime security contract approved by the Federal Executive Council in 2017 becomes unbearable for his ministry, he would come out publicly to mention the names of the cabals  behind it.

He said: “The President approved a contract of $195 million and there are people in the system sabotaging that contract that will restore security in the waters.  I won’t say who they are until it gets out of control.” The minister said there are people who make billions of dollars from the waters. “They don’t want security on the waters because if you secure the waters, all the rubbish will go”.

“What does Amaechi intend to achieve in the first place?”, queried Mrs Catherine Adeosun, the chief operating officer of a bonded terminal located along Abule Ado area of Lagos.  “Since he (the minister) knows the cabals, why not name them for the benefit of Nigerians? It is important that we (the ordinary citizens whose businesses are dying by the day) are told who is doing what so that we can know where to vent our anger.” She regretted that for years, the present federal government has nothing on ground to show that it is prepared to salvage the ailing maritime industry.

Another respondent who would not want to be named accused the minister and his likes of collaborating with those he referred to as ‘killers of the maritime sector’ who have been stifling personal businesses and the economy all in the name of advancing selfish political interests. “If otherwise, let him name the saboteurs and exonerate himself.”

In January 2018, the House of Representatives lambasted NIMASA for awarding a $195 million contract to HLSI Security Firma & Technology Inc. for the patrol of waterways and other critical national assets. The Reps said besides defying the local content law which favours patronizing made-in-Nigeria goods

and services, the contract was a security breach Nigeria can ill-afford especially now there are many internal security challenges.

It is recalled that during the tenure of Patrick Akpobolokemi as director-general of NIMASA, the agency awarded a 10-year maritime security contract valued at $103million to Global West Vessel Specialists Ltd allegedly owned by an ex-Niger Delta militant, Government Ekpomuopolo, alias Tompolo, to provide platforms and other paraphernalia to secure Nigeria’s maritime domain. Even though the arrangement is now under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the platforms provided then are said to be rotting away even as pirates and other sea robbers whose activities the arrangement was supposed to curb are having a field day.

People have also questioned the wisdom in outsourcing maritime security arrangements when the navy statutorily saddled with same job is on ground, arguing that what is needed for the navy to perform optimally is adequate funding.