₦airaland Forum

The Nigerian Ports Authority has threatened to sever ties with its joint ventures partners unless they come clean on recently-uncovered allegations of corruption, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.

The threat was handed down at a meeting Thursday, as ports’ management officials scrambled to contain the fallout of an audacious bribery scandal that calls the operational ethics of the agency into question.

The suspicious activities of Bonny Channel Management Limited (BCML) were put in the spotlight by a PREMIUM TIMES’ report which detailed how the technical partners were indicted in Switzerland for bribing former NPA officials to fast-track payments for contract awards.

The Managing Director of the NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman, reprimanded BCML officials and demanded they furnish her with all they knew about the bribery allegations or risk prompt termination of their partnership, two sources with details of the meeting, which held in Lagos, told PREMIUM TIMES.

The BCML runs the Bonny Channel Company (BCC) with the NPA in a joint-venture — public-private partnership.

The BCML is a consortium of technical partners that include Dredging International Services (Cyprus) Ltd, Vinci, IPEM and Dapesa Limited.

The NPA holds 60 per cent stake in the BCC while the BCML controls 40 per cent.

On its website, the BCC said its responsibility was to “create and maintain a safe navigational passage for all marine users to and in the Eastern Ports of Bonny Island, Onne, Okrika and Port-Harcourt”.

As PREMIUM TIMES reported last week, Swiss prosecutors, in early May, named four former Nigerian government officials in a multinational bribe scandal relating to contract awards at the NPA.

A former Managing Director of the agency, Adebayo Sarumi; a former Managing Director of NPA’s Eastern Ports, Felix Ovbude; a former Executive Director of Finance at the NPA, Abba Murtala Mohammed; and Sullivan Nwankpo, ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s special adviser on technical matters, were said to have received illicit payments from a firm working for the NPA.

Swiss authorities believe Daniel Afam-Obi, a former executive assistant to Mr. Nwankwo, acted as a front for his principal.

They were indicted alongside Dredging International, one of the technical partners that was sentenced to a fine of one million Swiss Francs and asked to refund 36 million Swiss Francs in illegal profits for allegedly making the illicit payments to the Nigerian officials.

While Messrs Sarumi, Ovbude and Mohammed allegedly collectively received $2.6 million in kickbacks, Mr. Afam-Obi was said to have been paid $157,000 for unknown reasons.

Another $18 million was passed to companies in which some yet unknown Nigerian officials have interests.

Mr. Sarumi, a 72-year-old retired maritime official who led the NPA from October 15, 2003 to May 2007, denied the allegations while Mr. Ovbude claimed ignorance of the matter, even though he was once quizzed by the EFCC over the case, our report said.

In her reaction to the original story, Ms. Bala Usman had said last week that a “deeply embarrassed” NPA management would open an inquiry into the allegations and bring all culpable individuals to book.

“We are reviewing the indictments and we will call for a full-scale investigation as it relates to companies and individuals in Nigeria said to have been involved,” Ms. Bala Usman said. “This corruption revelation is a helpful development.”

Our sources said Ms. Bala Usman informed the BCML officials that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission will be invited to investigate the indictment by Swiss authorities and other suspicious deals.

The NPA will also seek legal clarification from the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, on how to review subsisting terms of the joint-venture.

Mr. Malami’s predecessor, Mohammed Bello Adoke, had told Swiss authorities in 2012 that Mr. Sarumi and other Nigerians named in the bribery did no wrong and could not be prosecuted, a claim that shocked authorities of that European country.

Mr. Adoke told the Swiss that he directed the EFCC to investigate the matter, but the anti-graft agency found no evidence of bribery and exonerated all participants.

Yet, an EFCC source familiar with the investigation at the time told PREMIUM TIMES there was no truth in the former AGF’s claim, especially since the individuals were public officials at the time the alleged crime took place.

“These were public officers and there is no way we could have told the minister they received legitimate consultancy fees,” the source said. “We only sent him our findings. Sad that he drew inaccurate conclusion.”

“The NPA is very worried about dealing with joint-venture partners going forward,” one of our sources said.

But another source said, in the past, NPA officials would tactically sit on payments due to contractors until they become desperate and offer a percentage of their pay as bribes to the officials.

If the NPA terminates the joint-venture, the BCML could lose up to $70 million worth of yearly contracts from the agency, where it had received preferential business deals in violation of the country’s public procurement laws, officials said.

Source: http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/234369-swiss-bribery-scandal-npa-threatens-cut-ties-jv-partners.html

Front Page: Lalasticlala Seun Mynd44

Source ?

NPA should tell us what transpired not threatened their partner

Hm

It's funny people cry about marginalization and claim Lagos won't allow them to have fuctionioning seaport. Look at all the curruption going on. This is the reason for bad ports. Instead of the states to watch the federal government like hawks they sit quiet.

They used PPP deals to and preferential contract awards to enrich themselves. Then cases were killed on high. The fact the Swiss uncovered this before Nigeria tells you something.

sarrki:
Source ?

NPA should tell us what transpired not threatened their partner

They are in process of doing both. They need to do thorough investigation. Then Mrs. Usman said she's getting advice from Attorney General Malami. I added source.

Great threat

You cant do business in Nigeria if you dont give kick back... This is the unfortunate truth.
How can this be stopped?
How can these corruption be mitigated?
Right from our schools. Lecturers will not give you your merited score if you dont buy their handouts.
You wont be enrolled in govt firms for internship if you dont bribe your way.
You'll have to be made to part with certain amount of money just to secure a job in Govt firms.
Just to get Tinted permit/Police character clearance from the police, you'll be made to part with huge sum of money.

SalamRushdie:
Exactly ..Every body into business in Nigeria knows how hard it is to get your payments out without settling these officials who are much actually powerful than you think ..I won't forget when we got a contract with coca cola some years ago and out of the Blues some stranger i dont know till date called me asking for 3 million naira , I called his bluff and like joke like joke the next morning that job was put on hold for some magical technical reasons till date even though we had commenced ..I even went as far as reporting them to their Kenyan office where the big African bosses are and these Nigerians here in Ikoyi were able to convince them they never asked for the bribe and prove to them technically why they stopped a job that had commenced for no clear reason...the painful thing is that till date I don't know who asked for that bribe

I can relate to your story

Its shameful. Its annoying

shukuokukobambi:
I can relate to your story

Its shameful. Its annoying

Lol then Nigerians get surprised when shippers go through other ports and drive through land borders.

xdos:
You cant do business in Nigeria if you dont give kick back... This is the unfortunate truth.
How can this be stopped?
How can these corruption be mitigated?
Right from our schools. Lecturers will not give you your merited score if you dont buy their handouts.
You wont be enrolled in govt firms for internship if you dont bribe your way.
You'll have to be made to part with certain amount of money just to secure a job in Govt firms.
Just to get Tinted permit/Police character clearance from the police, you'll be made to part with huge sum of money.

The answer to your question is really quite simple: reduce the size and scope of the Nigerian state, by abolishing most of the rules and regulations required to do even simple things, and outright privatizing most of the assets the Nigerian government is currently mismanaging. If you don't require a government permit or stamp of approval to do something, no one can ask you for a bribe to get the authorization. If your ports are privately owned and run, no sensible management will hand out artificially inflated contracts that will eat into its profits. The police can't ask you for a "tinted permit" or "character clearance" if you don't need one for any purpose - and the fact is that you don't need such things in developed countries.

Thanks Omohayek. Let me start with the police character clearance certificates. I have never had to do anything within Nigeria that required a character clearance. Some countries like Angolan visa requirement is a police character clearance. The govt knows what to do to to eliminate most of these things. If most of these things are done online and maybe capture done at HQs, it would eliminate corruption to some extent. I tried renewing my FRSC license lately and I didnt have to pay an extra kobo because most of the things I did was online. Well let me see how far the Executive orders signed by the ag. President would go as per ease of doing business.

omohayek:
The answer to your question is really quite simple: reduce the size and scope of the Nigerian state, by abolishing most of the rules and regulations required to do even simple things, and outright privatizing most of the assets the Nigerian government is currently.

SalamRushdie:

Another oil and gas man

vedaxcool:
Another oil and gas man

Not everybody is a visionless free loader like you who has to wait fro someone to create a path so you become a sycophantic for them just to survive..Some of create value from thin air you don't know ..I intentionally took my story down because I realised it was very silly of me to post it here for obvious reasons ..I am not into oil and gas but I am proud I don't have to lick ass to survive

[s]

SalamRushdie:
Not everybody is a visionless free loader like you who has to wait fro someone to create a path so you become a sycophantic for them just to survive..Some of create value from thin air you don't know ..I intentionally took my story down because I realised it was very silly of me to post it here for obvious reasons ..I am not into oil and gas but I am proud I don't have to lick ass to survive

[/s]

Why do oil and gas men always feel insulted whenever their "jobs" are identified? Sorry I hurt you I didn't know it was your big secret.

vedaxcool:
[s][/s]

Why do oil and gas men always feel insulted whenever their "jobs" are identified? Sorry I hurt you I didn't want know it was your big secret.

anyway you just made me laugh sef

xdos:
Well let me see how far the Executive orders signed by the ag. President would go as per ease of doing business.

Well I just made thread asking this question. If you have an opinion feel free to comment. It's been over 30 days so all the orders should be in full effect as stated by his order.

Link: https://www.nairaland.com/3872487/osinbajos-exuactive-orders-been-implemented

omohayek:
The answer to your question is really quite simple: reduce the size and scope of the Nigerian state, by abolishing most of the rules and regulations required to do even simple things, and outright privatizing most of the assets the Nigerian government is currently mismanaging. If you don't require a government permit or stamp of approval to do something, no one can ask you for a bribe to get the authorization. If your ports are privately owned and run, no sensible management will hand out artificially inflated contracts that will eat into its profits. The police can't ask you for a "tinted permit" or "character clearance" if you don't need one for any purpose - and the fact is that you don't need such things in developed countries.

who will do the abolishing?

mikolo80:
who will do the abolishing?

Wow dude you ask a lot of questions. Do they u think for yourself? NASS has plans on Concessioning out ports anyway.

Blue3k:
Wow dude you ask a lot of questions. Do they u think for yourself? NASS has plans on Concessioning out ports anyway.

are we still speaking English?
is asking questions bad?

mikolo80:
are we still speaking English?
is asking questions bad?

Obviously you responded in English. Most of your questions can be answered with common sense. Who else besides NASS would be in charge of concessioning port? Get your base knowledge up so you don't have to ask inane questions. Im guessing that why you are getting reply to your 10s of questions.

Blue3k:
Wow dude you ask a lot of questions. Do they u think for yourself? NASS has plans on Concessioning out ports anyway.

read this CAREFULLY and tell me if it reads like English. normal English. that normal people speak.

mikolo80:
read this CAREFULLY and tell me if it reads like English. normal English. that normal people speak.

Lol if you got the point then shut up. Go educate yourself instead of flooding omohayek mentions like rabid groupie.

Blue3k:
Obviously you responded in English. Most of your questions can be answered with common sense. Who else besides NASS would be in charge of concessioning port? Get your base knowledge up so you don't have to ask inane questions. Im guessing that why you are getting reply to your 10s of questions.

why didn't I think of that. me course our Nass is well known for making and overseeing the implementation of laws that will benefit the populace.

truly it's better to be silent and leave ppl wondering than to speak and put all doubt to rest.

Blue3k:
Lol if you got the point then shut up. Go educate yourself instead of flooding omohayek mentions like rabid groupie.

sorry I didn't 'got' the point Mr rabies. that's why I was asking. but the next insult(show of foolishity) will be met with equal measure of rabies. go ahead try me.I dare you. I'm bored. I have your time for the next two months. clearly somebody mad that no one wants to follow him or her or them or it... who knows.not everyone chooses to remain ignorant like you

mikolo80:
I dare you. I'm bored. I have your time for the next two months. Clearly somebody mad that no one wants to follow him or her or them or it... who knows.not everyone chooses to remain ignorant like you

I'm sure you do. Why else would you be do hungry for the man's attention. Lol if you have so much time on your hands go educate yourself on the topic. Gosh you sound like your starving for social interaction.

Being annoying will just ensure you stay a social reject. I can tell you a little akward since you dont understand social ques. If you want answers asked how to fish. That means just ask where he learned all the economics. This save you trouble of asking a bunch inane questions

My last reply to you.

Blue3k:
I'm sure you do. Why else would you be do hungry for the man's attention. Lol if you have so much time on your hands go educate yourself on the topic. Gosh you sound like your starving for social interaction.

Being annoying will just ensure you stay a social reject. I can tell you a little akward since you dont understand social ques. If you want answers asked how to fish. That means just ask where he learned all the economics. This save you trouble of asking a bunch inane questions

My last reply to you.

in hungry for knowledge. you seem to think you know it all, hence the display of ignorance.
it's spelt cues Mr know it not.
you can continue reading, let's see who it will epp. not me not you not anybody.
he can summarise.
I'm here for specific answers to specific questions.I'd rather stand on giant shoulders than slog through the mud.
continue chest beating you here. I'm here for you.

Lol omohayek help your hungry disciple. Don't ignore him any longer spoon feed him your knowledge. He'll flood your mentions if you dont. Please oh Giant help the stunted one so he may to become giant and walk among you.

Hey maybe he'll leave his ivory tower to play 20 questions you your welcome.

Blue3k:
It's funny people cry about marginalization and claim Lagos won't allow them to have fuctionioning seaport. Look at all the curruption going on. This is the reason for bad ports. Instead of the states to watch the federal government like hawks they sit quiet.

They used PPP deals to and preferential contract awards to enrich themselves. Then cases were killed on high. The fact the Swiss uncovered this before Nigeria tells you something.

I remembered when the seaport at Igweocha (Port Harcourt) used to rival the port at Apapa, Lagos. However the conspirators (elites from defunct northern and western regions including the so-called minorities in the southern Nigeria) decided that Ndigbo were the problem. Since then the seaport at Igweocha has gone to the wind.

DerideGull:
I remembered when the seaport at Igweocha (Port Harcourt) used to rival the port at Apapa, Lagos. However the conspirators (elites from defunct northern and western regions including the so-called minorities in the southern Nigeria) decided that Ndigbo were the problem. Since then the seaport at Igweocha has gone to the wind.

At what point in Nigerian history did any port rival lagos ports.
I am willing to place a bet that no port in Nigeria today or otherwise is/was not as busy as the lagos port of 1600BC.