The Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola has replied a United States of America (USA) Nigerian born journalist, Mr. Jackson Udeh over his allegation that the millions of USA dollars that have so far accrued into the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) have been looted.
Udeh among other things in a report that have gone viral accused Mobereola and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola of diverting the funds meant for the CVFF.
Apparently miffed by the allegations, Mobereola in a statement signed by NIMASA Assistant Director, Public Relations, Mr. Edward Osagie said the fund was not only intact but currently held with the Central Bank of Nigeria under the Single Treasury Account (TSA).
According to the statement which was made available to Maritime Bits, the fact that the fund is intact with the CBN is contrary to a misleading publication alleging that funds have disappeared from the CVFF account. The report of missing money is both misleading and false.
His words: “For the record, the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund, securely held in NIMASA account at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), remains intact. There has been no disappearance of funds and no illegal transactions, as the article suggests. This misinformation is a figment of the author’s imagination, aimed at undermining NIMASA’s integrity, and misleads the public about the agency’s operations.
“The management of NIMASA will ensure that the CVFF is utilised in line with its statutory purpose. NIMASA Director General Dr. Mobereola has assured stakeholders of the safety of funds under the CVFF. Let us be clear that the CVFF account at the Central Bank of Nigeria is safe, intact, and secure. We at NIMASA will continue to manage it with the utmost responsibility, and there are no irregularities or illegal activities surrounding the funds. I urge the public to disregard this false narrative and to continue trusting the agency’s ability to uphold the integrity of Nigeria’s maritime sector”.
Continuing, Mobereola said: “NIMASA is committed to transparency, accountability, and the advancement of Nigeria’s maritime sector”.
Maritime Bits had reported that the CVFF is a fund established under section 42 of the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act 2003 to promote the development of indigenous ship acquisition capacity and to provide credit facilities to local maritime operators.
