NUPENG: We Don’t Need You Anymore
The Nigerian Navy has finally cleared the air over its controversial decision to withdraw its officers from the Ibafon-Ibru petroleum products jetty and tank farms in Apapa.
Naval Authourities said last week that it took the decision so as to protect the integrity of the Nigerian Navy whose personnel had been in charge of controlling traffic and provision of security at the sprawling facilities.
Making the clarification last week in an exclusive chat with to Shipping Position Weekly the commanding officer in charge of NNS Beecroft of the western naval command, Commodore Pius .O. Ozojiofor explained that the decision was necessary because the Navy is no longer comfortable in the face of allegations and accusations of bribery and extortion that have over time been levelled against its officers, saying that they cannot be continually blackmailed.
He told our correspondent that the presence of the Navy at the depot is just like an extra service being rendered in order to end the continuous traffic congestion that is usually present along that access, but that the tanker drivers however seem to be taking advantage of the situation to blackmail the officers with series of accusations and counter accusations which to him is unacceptable.
According to him “we are just assisting them by providing extra service but it seems the relationship can no longer continue because it seems the tanker drivers wanted a free hand where they can do whatever they like, so since they think they can do it alone we have decided to pull out” he explained.
Ozorjiofor explained that “there have always been accusations coming from that quarters that my men are taking bribe, and we don’t want our name to be messed up with anything like that” he said.
However, a unit chairman of the tanker drivers who spoke with our correspondent at the Ibafon-Ibru jetty said that the exit of the Navy has been long overdue and that the case is not just wrong accusations among tanker drivers, but that even the marketers have had a sour taste of the situation.
According to our source (names withheld), the presence of the officers at the depot is a duplication of duty which has continually hampered the affairs of the union because the union officials are not allowed to do their job as expected.
He said “we have our VIO men of NUPENG in this place and with this we don’t see what the Navy is needed for, instead of duplicating the duty, it is good for them to be removed so that they can be re-assigned to monitor the safety on our waters, let them have enough hands on deck to work with, we can do our own job here” he said.
Buttressing his point, our source gave a vivid account of how the navy last year punctured the tyres of 10 of their trucks owing to refusal to give in to some unnecessary monetary demands; he said that corporal punishment was usually meted out to any un-cooperating member which led to their going on strike sometime ago.
“It was the management of the depots that requested for the presence of the Navy about two years ago but since they have decided to go, we have been doing our work and we have not heard of any traffic clog since then“ he added.
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