Friday, January 27, 2012

Nigeria’s politics of maritime security


Vanguard
26 January 2011

By Is’haq Modibbo Kawu

I SPOKE with Lai Mohammed, spokesperson of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), on Monday. My call was sequel to the alarm he raised about the decision of the Goodluck Jonathan regime to handover the nation’s maritime security to Global West Vessel Specialist Agency (GWVSL), a company allegedly owned by Government Tompolo, one of the so-called ex-militants of the Niger Delta, that spent the past few years subverting our country.

According to the story, the decision to approve a so-called strategic concession partnership between the government agency, NIMASA and GWVSL, was on the basis of a memo presented last month to the Federal Executive Council. Tompolo’s company, according to the plan, would “enforce regulatory compliance and surveillance of the entire Nigerian Maritime Domain”.

Spurious reason
The spurious reason averred by Jonathan’s regime for this agreement, was that the Nigerian government is unable to raise the $130million needed as investment over a 10-year period for the provision of the requisite operational platforms. The concession to Tompolo, according to the regime, will create 1,375 direct jobs and another 1, 620 indirect jobs, while government expects to earn N124billion, in the period.

Most worrisome, is the fact that Government Tompolo will get the concession for an initial 10year period, renewable for two five year terms. So if this highly suspicious, dubious and potentially secessionist project is allowed to pass, Tompolo will rule Nigeria’s maritime sector for the next 20 years.

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