Senate may order arrest of NIMASA DG, Peterside

The Senate has threatened to wield the big stick by ordering immediate arrest of the Director General of Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside.

The joint Committees of the Senate on Navy, Marine Transport and Finance, on Wednesday, said it may consider issuing warrant of arrest on the Director General for failing to appear before it.

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The Daily Times recalls that Committee is currently undergoing investigation into the alleged N263.89 billion illegal security services carried out by the Ocean Marine Solutions Limited (OMLS) at the Safe Anchorage Area in Lagos Ports.

Failure of Dakuku to appear before the Committee on Wednesday led to the threat to call for his arrest. He was rather represented at the investigative hearing by the Principal Legal Officer of the Agency, Barrister Haruna Argungu.

However, the committee refused to honour the representative who was eventually walked out of the session in the presence of the Minister of State, Transportation, Senator Gbemisola Saraki.

Trouble for the NIMASA DG started when the committee Chairman, Senator George Sekibo (PDP Rivers East), read out list of heads of Marine Transport agencies invited for the hearing and discovered that the NIMASA DG, Dakuku Peterside, was not personally present.

Though Peterside’s representative made spirited efforts to justify the absence of his boss, but the Committee Chairman and other members like Senators Muhammad Danjuma Goje (APC Gombe Central), Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (APC Lagos West), and Betty Apiafi (PDP Rivers West) among others, dismissed his explanations as balderdash.

While Argungu in his explanations said the NIMASA DG couldn’t make it because of International Maritime Organisation (IMO) conference he attended in London few days back,   Senator Danjuma Goje who also attended the conference in his capacity, as Chairman, Senate Committee on Marine Transport, countered him by saying “I also attended the conference and I am here now”.

Goje punctured the explanation further by saying that even the Minister of State for Transportation, Gbemisola Saraki attended the same conference and honoured the committee’s invitation.

“Your explanation that the NIMASA DG couldn’t make it to this investigative hearing because of IMO conference he attended in London few days back is not tenable because I was also at the conference and even Senator Gbemisola Saraki, the Minister of State, Transportation was there and both of us are here now.

“Mr. Chairman, the NIMASA DG should look for another excuse for not honouring the committee’s invitation which to me is unacceptable,” he said.

Consequently, the Committee Chairman, George Sekibo told Argungu to inform Peterside to appear before the committee unfailingly today, Thursday, 5th December, 2019 failure of which a warrant of arrest will be issued against him by the Senate.

“This investigative hearing supposed to have been held last week but shifted to allow the NIMASA DG and other key players in Marine Transport to attend the IMO conference which took place in London last weekend.

“It is annoying that after that grace given to him, he still refused to appear before us today. This is unacceptable as submitted by other members of the committee and on account of this, the Committee is given him another chance to honour our invitation on Thursday, 5th December 2019 by 3pm prompt.

“If the NIMASA DG to fails to appear in person before this committee tomorrow (today), warrant of arrest will be issued against him by the Senate for that purpose “, he warned.

He there after ordered Barrister Argungu to leave the venue of the session which he did along with another official from the agency, Mr. Okechukwu Ekezienya.

However, Senator Gbemisola Saraki in her submissions before the Committee, said OMSL contract on security services at the ports has not been suspended or dismantled as claimed by the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Usman, on Tuesday.

She explained to the committee that the Ministry has scheduled a meeting with all stakeholders on the security services at the Ports next week Monday in Lagos.