Sack Fever Grips NIMASA Workers

The war of attrition and crisis of confidence that has recently hit the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) took a new twist last week as there was an indication that about 95 staff of the agency have been pencilled down for either dismissal or retirement.

It was, however, learnt that the impending sack may not be unconnected with the alleged roles the workers played in the crisis which engulfed the agency following the appointment of its new Director General, Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi.

However, the impending sack of the staff was attributed to redundancy and attainment of retirement age. But an impeccable source within the agency said they were being axed for their act of disloyalty and treachery during the rivalry between the new DG and some of the Executive Directors who considered the new DG’s appointment as an affront and wanted to oust him.

It would be recalled that the new DG, Mr. Akpobolokemi threatened to resign his appointment last month, citing irreconcilable differences with the Executive Directors who, he said, were not compatible to work with.

Though he later denied the claim, it took the intervention of the Minister of Transport, Alhaji Yusuf Sulaiman and the new board chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, to call the truce between the warring parties.

Meanwhile, the move of the new DG was considered as a bold step to bring stability that would make the agency governable for him.

However, the breakdown of those to be affected in the exercise shows 40 junior staff, 35 middle level staff, 20 senior staff and some directors. Interestingly, Hajia Lami Tumaka, the head of Public Relations of the agency denied the sack claim, saying that “it was a lie.”

She said that contrary to the sack claim, the agency was embarking on a promotion exercise for deserving staff. “The staff are very happy as the promotion exercise is on-going,” she declared.

She said the officers on grade level 3 to 13 are to benefit from the exercise.

—Moses Falobi