After barely three days in the saddle, it turned out Barrister Calistus Nwabueze Obi was not the “most senior officer” at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and hence should not have taken over from Patrick Akpobolokemi as Acting Director General, SHIPS & PORTS DAILY had exclusively reported on Friday.
Consequently, the most senior officer, the Executive Director Finance and Administration, Baba Haruna Jauro displaced Obi and formally assumed the position of NIMASA’s Acting Director General/Chief Executive Officer.
Jauro’s victory did not come easy as he had to formally lodge a protest against the erstwhile DG to the Federal Ministry of Transport and Office of the Head of Service of the Federation.
While Jauro; Obi who is the Executive Director Cabotage and Maritime Labour Services and Capt. Bala Agaba (Executive Director, Maritime Safety and Shipping Development) were all appointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan same day – 24th July 2012; Jauro claims his seniority from the fact that he resumed duties at the Maritime House 24 hours ahead of the others.
It is still unclear why Akpobolokemi chose to hand over to Obi on Tuesday despite protests by Jauro.
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