By Lizzy Chirkpi<\/p>\n
The decision by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency’s (NIMASA) to set aside a whopping sum of N9 billion for foreign training tickets in the 2025 budget has again raised doubt about the President Bola Tinubu-led administration’s pledge to sure cost-effective governance.<\/p>\n
The huge sum is over \u20a61 billion more than the what was budgeted in 2024.<\/p>\n
The agency allegedly earmarked an extravagant spending totaling over \u20a630 billion between 2024 and 2025.<\/p>\n
A close examination of NIMASA’s expenditure in 2024 and its budget proposals for 2025, as sighted by Pointblanknews, paints a disturbing picture of potential large-scale corruption. Beyond the astronomical foreign training budget, the agency’s financial records reveal billions allegedly proposed for phoney local and international travel expenses, inexplicable training budgets for various categories including “Retiring Staff,” duplicated maintenance costs, and lavish accommodation.<\/p>\n
These figures suggest a brazen disregard for prudent financial management and a possible systematic looting at a time the government is relying on borrowings to fund its budget.<\/p>\n
In the 2025 budget, the current administration is expected to spend as much as N16 trillion on debt servicing alone.<\/p>\n
Under the leadership of Director-General Dr. Dayo Mobereola, who assumed office in March 2024, NIMASA whose mandate is the regulation of Nigeria’s maritime sector, appears to be indulging in an orgy of questionable expenditures that starkly contrasts with the economic realities faced by millions.<\/p>\n
A look into NIMASA’s financial records reveals a litany of line items that suggest a brazen disregard for public good with billions of naira allegedly allocated to frivolous activities while citizens struggle to afford basic necessities.<\/p>\n
The sheer scale of the proposed \u20a69 billion for foreign training tickets in 2025, dwarfing numerous other significant expenditures, epitomizes the alleged financial indiscipline and raises serious concerns about accountability and the ethical compass of the agency’s leadership.<\/p>\n
The breakdown of some of the most appalling expenditures and budget proposals paints a grim picture:
\nSoaring Travel Costs: A combined “\u20a61.29 billion” spent in 2024 and a proposed “\u20a61.81 billion” for 2025 on Local Travel (Staff & Executive Management) alone is deemed “absurd and indicative of systemic fraud.”
\nQuestionable Training Expenditures: Billions allocated across various training categories, including “\u20a6777.5 million” spent in 2024 and a proposed “\u20a61.08 billion” for local training logistics, and an astounding proposed \u20a69 billion for Foreign Training Tickets in 2025, up from over \u20a61 billion in 2024. Even training for “Retiring Staff” gulped down \u20a6182.8 million in 2024 with a proposed “\u20a6255.9 million” for 2025.
\nLavish Accommodation: \u20a62.4 billion spent and proposed for Hotel Accommodation across both years, suggesting a “deeply embedded culture of luxury abuse.”
\nUnaccountable Board Expenses: Over \u20a62 billion spent and proposed for vague “Board\/Committee Expenses” across 2024 and 2025.
\nDuplicated and Inflated Maintenance: Billions allocated to \u201cmaintenance of HQ, Annex, and Zonal Office Buildings\u201d and a suspicious \u201cmaintenance of London Office\u201d with fluctuating figures.
\nExorbitant Operational Costs: Including a staggering \u20a64.52 billion spent on “fuelling of generators” in 2024 and a static \u20a63.86 billion for “welfare packages,” raising serious questions about their legitimacy.
\nDubious Projects and Schemes: Proposed billions for a \u201csecond NIMASA Towers Building\u201d and a \u201cVerification Inspection Exercise\u201d with unclear justifications and outcomes.
\nInflated Sundry Expenses: From “\u20a6223.2 million” spent on “stationery” in 2024 to a proposed \u20a61.2 billion for “Annual Replenishment of Store items” in 2025, and \u20a61 billion spent on “cleaning of offices” in 2024, the details suggest gross overpricing and potential fraud.<\/p>\n
The cumulative effect of these expenditures and budget proposals points to a disturbing trend of financial recklessness within NIMASA, seemingly under the watch of its new Director-General.<\/p>\n
The stark contrast between the alleged opulence within NIMASA, highlighted by the staggering foreign training budget, and the widespread suffering across Nigeria underscores the urgent need for accountability.<\/p>\n
Nigerians demand answers from Dr. Dayo Mobereola regarding these big figures. The funds allegedly squandered on these questionable items could have been channeled towards initiatives that directly impact the lives of struggling citizens, analysts say.<\/p>\n
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