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MARCH 5, 2007 VOL. 20. NO 21

Rumble in NAMASA

**Mfon-Usoro, DG, NAMASA.**

Junior staffers of the National Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NAMASA), revolt over a 300 per cent increase in the allowances of their senior counterparts, even as the Director- General, Mfon-Usoro and an Executive Director, engage each other over negative media reports
By Innocent Chukwu
Apparently alarmed at the rate at which shady and undignified deals at the National Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NAMASA), are daily laid bare in the media, the top echelon of the embattled agency penultimate week moved against its Public Relations Department, sweeping it of virtually all old staff.
As it were, most staffers of the department were redeployed to obscure departments in the agency, ostensibly as punishment for their alleged involvement in exposing the activities of an agency they are supposed to protect. Dependable sources, however, said that two former staffer of the department who were redeployed to Warri and Calabar ports last year by Festus Ugwu, an engineer and former Director General of the defunct National Maritime Authority because of doubtful loyalty, have been called back to assist the agency’s Deputy Director, Public Relations (DDPR), Ms Ego Nwokocha.
Affected in the recent mass movement is Gbenga Ogunsakin who used to be the head of the department before Dr. Iliyasu Dhacko was appointed as DDPR. Indeed, since the coming of Usoro, Ogunsakin’s wings and those of some others who are considered by Usoro’s camp as traitors, have been clipped, hence reducing them to mere rubber stamp PROs before their final redeployment.
Though The Source was told that the “reshufflement” was “a normal routine organisational thing which started since December 2006 to enable inter-departmental understanding,” what many feel is that the sweeping of the PR department of its staff without posting staffers from other departments to take up their job, “makes the whole move very, very suspicious.”
Lending credence to the latter argument, a source said, is the recent intense face-off between the NAMASA Director-General, Usoro and one of the Executive Directors of the agency, Oliver Ogbuagu over the latter’s alleged involvement in negative media reports about the agency. The Source’s investigations reveal that at a recent management meeting of the maritime regulatory agency, Usoro allegedly made allusion to the fact that Ogbuagu has a lot to do in order to absolve himself of involvement in the said media reports which she said have “insider” contributions.
The Source, infact, gathered that there had always been a cat-and-mouse relationship between Usoro and Ogbuagu- a development which both officials find difficult to hide, even at public functions.
For example, last year when officials of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) visited the agency, The Source learnt that several questions asked the LNG officials by Ogbuagu were not answered. The reason, it was gathered, being that Usoro had directed the visitors to ignore Ogbuagu for allegedly appearing at the event late.
Indeed, The Source’s investigations further indicate that the reason for the Usoro-Ogbuagu feud is not far-fetched. In fact, insider sources argue that since it is being touted that Ogbuagu, based on his knowledge, experience and longevity in the agency, should be the next in line for the NAMASA exalted throne, Usoro regards him as a big threat to her position as the DG of the agency, while Ogbuagu treads softly to avoid being nailed.
It is, perhaps, for this reason that Usoro allegedly accused Ogbuagu of masterminding plans to frustrate her tenure using the media. All these developments, The Source learnt, have intensified the distractions in the parastatal which analysts say, has never known peace in recent times due largely to vested interests which struggle over the huge funds accruing to the dollar-spinning agency.
Besides the fore-going and to add to NAMASA’s albatross was a brief cacophony that also erupted penultimate week which attempted to disrupt the agenct’s end the- year- party organised by the agency for its staff. The Source gathered that junior staffers of the agency had no better opportunity to protest the almost 300 per cent increase in the allowances (not salary) of the senior staff, from grade level 14, while theirs (junior workers) were not affected.
But for the quick intervention of Usoro, the embittered junior workers had vowed to bring the party to a halt if the management refused to accede to their demand. Usoro, it was learnt, called on the protesters and pleaded that something was going to be done as quick as possible to up their allowances. She also told them that since she was not the initiator of the upward review for senior staffers, which The Source learnt, was endorsed by the Board of the agency, she would ensure that there was a balance. This temporarily kept the angry junior staff at bay.
Those who spoke to The Source on condition of anonymity, said their plan was to boycott the party and “let us see what they would have done since we are in the majority and all the preparations had been made,” some of the aggrieved junior staffers told The Source. According to them, “the battle is still not over yet.”
Notedly, another issue that has continued to generate controversy in the agency is the car and housing loan which several media reports said was trapped in some failed banks. In fact, competent sources disclosed that the over two billion naira set apart to better the lives of the NMA workers since the era of Ferdinand Agu, a former DG, may still be intact afterall.
NAMASA sources hinted that Usoro has promised to disburse the funds to its beneficiaries as soon as her right-sizing of the organisation is completed. Although many staffers take this promise with a pinch of salt, alleging that the money had long been embezzled by past administrations of the agency leading to the recent suspension of Mrs C.C Ezeala, a former Director for Financial Services (DFS), there is still some rays of hope for the workers.
This hope is based on what the Chief Internal Auditor (CIA) of the agency, Victor Onuzuruike told The Source recently. Admitting that several billions of naira belonging to the agency were trapped in four failed banks due to several interests from higher authorities, Onuzuruike said the car and housing loan which he put at over two billion naira, was still intact. Adding that he has documents to show that the money has not been tampered with. The CIA berated the media for failing to come to him (Onuzuruike) for clarification before reporting that the fund was among those trapped in failed banks.
He claimed that Ezeala was sanctioned because she was not lucky. According to him, the top echelon of NMA-NAMASA does not tamper with the agency’s funds without orders from above. “So, you can’t blame Ezeala because she is just a scape-goat.”
Onuzuruike: “The money (car and housing loan is bigger than that (N800 million). It is not among the money that was deposited in the failed banks (Societe General Bank, Afex, Savannah and City Express bank). I have all the documents to show that it is still intact; even during one of our management meetings, some people were saying the money was embezzled, but I told them it is a lie, I don’t know where you journalists get your information.”
Asked why the money has not been disbursed to the beneficiaries since Agu's tenure, Onuzuruike said, “I cannot tell you exactly why, but you know in this place we don’t act on our own. There are several interests here and there and you must obey. That is what affected Ezeala too.”
But for the embittered junior workers of NAMASA who bemoan the alleged misappropriation of NAMASA funds, “we must follow this car and housing loan to logical conclusion. It is our right.”