By Our Reporter
The House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions has threatened to order the arrest of Dayo Mobereola, the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Safety and Administration Agency (NIMASA), if he does not appear before the Committee on Wednesday, July 17.
The committee is investigating a petition filed by the Abade-Toru Manga Community Development Initiative against NIMASA. The petition, addressed to the Speaker of the House, alleges that NIMASA failed to establish educational and skills acquisition projects in the coastal communities as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
The petitioners claim that NIMASA had committed to introducing educational and entrepreneurship training, as well as skills acquisition programs in areas such as fishing, clearing and forwarding, and legal bunkering, for the coastal communities, following recommendations from the Global Maritime Security Conference 2019. However, they allege that the former Director-General, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, instead chose to build a Maritime Skill Acquisition Centre and Twin Lecture Theatre in Kaduna State, his home state.
As part of its investigation, the committee has summoned the current DG, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, to explain why NIMASA did not establish similar skills acquisition centers in the five states where it operates: Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers.
Committee Chairman Hon. Mike Etaba stated that if Dr. Mobereola fails to appear, the Committee will instruct the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to arrest and bring him