The House Committee on Maritime Education, Safety and Administration yesterday, accused management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA of under utilizing N42 billion approved for its capital projects in 2017.
Speaking during its oversight function at the agency’s headquarters in Apapa, Lagos , the seven-man committee led by its Chairman, Umaru Bago Mohammed, frowned at the fact that the apex maritime regulatory agency only utilized N5 billion, out of the approved fund.
House of Representatives Mohammed therefore threatened to slash the agency’s allocation to N5 billion in the next budget except it improved on the utilization of the fund. He however, commended the agency for responding positively to the committee’s queries on staff welfare According to him, “It is not right that we approve funds for you and you do not spend it. If you do not spend your money on capital projects, we will give you less in the next budget. “So, we have promised as a committee and as parliament, that anybody we give resources to spend and refuses to spend, will be given the percentage of what they have spent the previous year, in the next appropriation.”
Responding, the Director General of NIMASA, Dakuku Peterside, explained that the management recently promoted over 800 staff, in its bid to motivate them to achieve its set goals.
Peterside also disclosed said that the agency had sent 289 cadets for training abroad, as part of the National Seafarers Development Programme, NSDP. On the issue of capital projects, he assured that the agency would work towards improving spending in that direction.
Text credit: Vanguard
