Contrary to assurances given by former Acting Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Mr. Haruna Baba Jauro that the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) was still intact, Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi has confirmed that the fund has been squandered on the establishment of the controversial Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko in Delta State.
The minister made the disclosure at a maritime conference in Lagos last week, saying that this was one of the major illegal actions committed by the last management of NIMASA.
Shipping Position Daily confirmed that proceeds from the CVFF had risen to a whooping N50billion. The money accumulated from the 2% Cabotage Development Levy which NIMASA was collecting from all vessels trading on Nigerian waters.
Amaechi recalled that the embattled former DG of NIMASA, Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi had acquired a land for the establishment of the maritime university for a whooping N13billion which according to the minister is enough to have completed the school.
The minister also alleged that the Vice Chancellor of the university had aslo written to him, asking for approval for the payment of salaries which he has since turned down.
Responding to questions over the university, he said: "Next time, I hear about this issue in public, I may not respond anymore".
"The land for that university was bought at N13billion, please tell me which place in Nigeria that land is sold for N13billion? The money is enough to build the university and commission it, what I should be hearing now is how to hire lecturers"
"I saw a letter from the Vice Chancellor of the university, asking me for the approval of salary, he has an approval attached from NUC and Federal Ministry of Education, I have told them to go to the ministry of Education"
"The second aspect of it is that the N13billion was taken from the CVFF, and the law does not allow them to touch that money, it is illegal for them to have started spending money meant for indigenous shipowners for building universities" Amaechi said.
He lamented that all these atrocities was going on even though the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) in Oron, Akwa Ibom State has not been developed properly to be respected in the country or in the sub region.
He said that "instead of developing MAN Oron, they were developing faculties of maritime, this is called rent-seeking, they were just awarding contracts without sitting back to ask if the contracts are really necessary"
"Maybe when another government comes into power, or if there is a new minister he may go back to Okerenkoko, but for me, I will not go back there" Amaechi vowed.
He noted that he is also from the South-South region of Nigeria where the university was sighted and that stopping the university construction is not borne out of malice for the region.
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