The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately suspend the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh.
Naija News reports that the opposition party made the call in a statement on newsmen.
The PDP pointed out that suspending Jamoh would enable him face the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the alleged looting of N1.5 trillion and $9.5 million dollars belonging to the agency.
According to the party, allowing the NIMASA DG remain in office shows that the administration of Buhari is shielding fraudulent individuals because of their reported closeness to Mr. President.
The PDP also charged the EFCC not to give in to blackmails but move in and commence an investigation on the alleged fraud in NIMASA.
The statement reads in part: “It is despicable that the Buhari administration that promised zero tolerance for corruption is rather the sanctuary for treasury looters, who as ministers, presidential aides, heads of parastatals, APC leaders and their relatives are daily pillaging the coffers of ministries, department and agencies and stealing trillions of naira belonging to the Nigerian people.
“Earlier this month, our nation was jolted by the revelation of a $65 million (N31 billion) fraud in the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), in which President Buhari’s reportedly estranged son-in-law, Gimba Yau Kumo, was involved.
“This FMBN revelation came on the heels of allegations of looting of over N165 billion in the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) under the ministerial purview of the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and the suspended Director-General, Hadiza Bala Usman.
“This is in addition to allegations of involvement of the wife of the transportation minister in the exposed N48 billion contract scam currently rocking the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
“It is saddening that under President Buhari, ministries and agencies of government, including FIRS, NNPC, NEMA, NPA, NIMASA, NHIS, among others, are now Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) from which avaricious officials and APC leaders have stolen over N17 trillion in the last six years, while our nation wallows in poverty, economic hardship and infrastructural decay.
“Now that the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Jamoh, had yielded to the demands of investigation by the EFCC, our party holds that he should immediately step aside so that the anti-graft agency will have unhindered access to vital documents on the matter.”
The article was originally published on Nigeria News