Deconstructing Dr Jamoh NIMASA DG

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By Foster Obi

Thomas Paine, English born American revolutionary and writer, once wrote as a reply to Edmund Burke’s(political scientist) attack on the French nation and Parliament, “there is scarcely an epithet of abuse to be found in language, when the tongue or pain is let loose in a frenzy of passion, it is then the man and not the subject that becomes exhausted.”

This line of thinking also forms part of this piece as we dispassionately take a look at the service trajectory of Dr. Bashir Jamoh, the man who took over from Dr Dakuku Adol Peterside, as the Director General, Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA. (As an aside, some journalists still refer to the later jokingly but tongue in cheek, as “chop alone.”)

Before Jamoh, and in the history of Nigeria’s apex maritime regulatory body, formerly known as the National Maritime Authority (NMA) which became NIMASA after the merging of the NMA with the defunct Joint Maritime Labour Industrial Council (JOMALIC) on 1st August 2006, only two people have been arguably appointed from within the organisation as substantive CEOs. The first was John Egesi. Egesi spent barely three months in office before he was shown the exit in 1999 as a result of high level political intrigues. The second was Dr. Ade Dosunmu who served as DG/CEO from May 2007 to July 2009. In between Egesi and Dosunmu’s tenure, politicians had a field day as they battled each other for the soul of the agency with George Eneh taking over from Egesi. Eneh was in office for less than a year before his replacement by Ferdinand Agu. Agu had the grace of heading the agency for over four years. The Cabotage Act was passed during his tenure but he lost out after losing favour with then Governor of his Enugu state, Dr. ChimarokeNnamani, and was replaced by Festus Ugwu of blessed memory. After Ugwu came the creation of NIMASA and the appointment of Mfon Usoro , the first female DG, on 1st August 2006. Usoro’s tenure lasted for barely nine months before the appointment of Dr. Dosumu in May 2007. By July 2009, another political power group had emerged paving the way for Dosumu’s replacement by Temisan Omatseye. 18 months into Omatseye’s four-year tenure and with the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2010, another power block emerged. Omatseye was sacked and Patrick Akpobolokemi who had the luck of completing his first four-year tenure and of a reappointment by his fellow Ijaw kinsman, President Goodluck Jonathan. President Buhari sacked akpobolokemi eight months into his second tenure.

Following the directive of the federal government that Akpobolokemi, who was recently relieved of his position should hand over to the most senior official in the agency, Barrister Callistus Okoro moved in on the saddle in some kind of in-house tussle.

But having resumed 24 hours ahead of Obi during their entry on the job as Executive directors, Haruna Jauro claimed seniority protesting the refusal to hand over to him.

However, in a statement Isichei Osamgbi, NIMASA’s then deputy director and head, public relations, confirmed that Jauro was in charge of the agency. He was scarcely six months in office.

Jamoh now the third substantive? Director-General of NIMASA from within resumed duty on March 10, 2020 as the 6th DG of the maritime regulatory Agency since the JOMALIC- NMA merger.

To understand Jamoh’s journey and mindset, one needs to also take a look at when he was accountant, Produce Purchase, Farmers Supply Company, Kaduna State between May 1987 – Dec 1988.

His job among others was compilation and consolidation of monthly produce purchase account expenditures and receipts of the company.

By 1994, he had already joined NMA as Principal Commercial Officer, Operations, Dry/Wet cargo.

It was from there he rose to become Executive Director, (Finance & Administration),NIMASA, in August 2016 where he held forth before becoming DG in 2020.

During his appointment, there were rumours that he was related to President Buhari. While this may have given him an edge in the selection, Jamoh’s resume shows that he may not be an intellectual weakling as some are wont to believe. It was Burke who once said that “weaklings do not write history nor do the timid ordinarily point towards progress.”

Jamoh has written books on how to reposition the Maritime sector. Such books as ‘Harnessing Nigeria’s Maritime assets’ and Cost of Piracy’ are in the public domain.’

Bashir Jamoh is a Ph.D. holder from the University of Port Harcourt, specializing in Logistics and Transport Management with over thirty two (32) years of professional and technocratic experience in the transportation and maritime sectors of the Nigerian economy. In Addition to his Ph.D. degree in Logistics and Transport Management, he also holds Master’s Degree in Management from Korea Maritime and Ocean University, Post Graduate Diploma in Management Sciences from Bayero University Kano and a Diploma in Accounting from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, respectively.

According to his resume, he has attended several leadership and management courses at the Harvard University US, Oxford University UK, Cambridge University UK, International Training Centre of ILO Turin Italy, Institute of Public Private Partnership Washington DC, International Law Institute, USA, and Institute.

Within the period he assumed office, he has made some notable attempts at transforming NIMASA.

He told visiting Nigerian Union of Journalists officials that piracy attacks has dropped 80% on Nigerian territorial waters since his tenure.

According to him, $783 million has been lost to piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

“We have recorded a drastic reduction in piracy and this is enough for us to beat our chest that we are ready to return to the category ‘C’ of membership of International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

“However, the year 2021 has witnessed a significant turnaround under my leadership as insecurity on Nigerian waters has reduced by 80 per cent,” he said.

Mr Jamoh said the last time the country had a drop in piracy attack in the nation’s waterways was in 1994, saying that Nigerian waterways was one of the top 10 safest waters in the world.

He noted that this achievement was enough reason to sensitise and inform the international community that the Nigerian waterways were now safer than ever before.

He assured that Nigeria must take its rightful position among the comity of nations globally.

“We want the cost of Insurance Premium paid by Nigerians as a result of insecurity to be reconsidered as insecurity in the country’s waterways has drastically reduced, “Jamoh said.

He praised the agency for working toward the actualisation of the Blue Economy, bringing to reality the aim and target of the agency to harness to the maximum.

“We have eight coastal states in the country and we want these states to develop their potentials in order to contribute to the country’s revenue,”Jamoh added.

This statement which the DG released to the NUJ Lagos state officials form the core areas of his pursuit.

Like every body at position of authority, Jamoh is not excluded from attacks. Some of his critics believe that he is an errand boy of the powers that be at Abuja.

Recently there was a story that United Kingdom investigators bursted another corruption scandal in the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration involving Jamoh, where various sums including N1.5 Trillion and another $9,557,312.50 were traced to his personal accounts.

Pointblanknews.com said its investigation revealed that N1.5 Trillion was found in a Fidelity Account 4020949836 linked to Bashir Jamoh, who is also the father-in-law of Sabiu Yusuf aka Tunde, President Muhammadu Buhari’s Personal Assistant.

Jamoh however felt his integrity was impuned and asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate allegation.

The angle was that Jamoh was accused by one Jackson Ude of alleged corruption.

In a series of tweets, Ude had accused Jamoh of diverting N1.5 trillion into his personal accounts.

Ude also alleged that Jamoh diverted another $9.5 million to a different account traced to him.

In a letter addressed to the EFCC chairman, Jamoh asked the agency to conduct a “thorough and painstaking” investigation into the allegations.

He said the probe will unravel the truth and put the record straight in the public domain.

Dr. Bashir Jamoh has chalked 19 months already as Nimasa Boss. How history interprets his tenure also depends on what he does with the remaining months or years on the seat.

Foster Obi is the Editor of DFCNewsng.com

Picture: Dr. Bashir Jamoh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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