Dakuku Peterside

President Muhammadu Buhari has sacked Mr Dakuku Peterside as the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

The President also approved the appointment of the current Executive Director, Administration and Finance, Bashir Jamoh, as the new DG.

Bashir Jamoh is the current President of the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria (CIOTA). He holds a PhD from the University of Port Harcourt, specialising in Logistics and Transport Management.

He also holds a master’s degree in Management from Korea Maritime and Ocean University, a post-graduate diploma in Management Sciences from Bayero University, Kano and a diploma in Accounting from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

Jamoh has 32 years of professional experience in the transportation and maritime sector. He joined NIMASA in 2003 as an Assistant Chief Commercial Officer, Eastern and Central zones

Peterside, who was appointed by the Buhari administration in 2016, is expected to end his tenure on March 10, 2020. However, Peterside has been at the centre of controversy in recent times.

In February, NIMASA criticized by the House of Representatives for allegedly failing to audit its account for six years.

The Senate had in December 2019 threatened to issue an arrest warrant against the former NIMASA DG over his refusal to honour an invitation of the Joint Committee on Navy, Maritime and Finance, to answer questions about the activities of a private security company and some government security agencies accused of collecting illegal fees for securing vessels at the Safe Anchorage Area.

On Tuesday, Peterside angered the National Assembly by failing to appear personally in response to summons by the joint committee investigating activities of foreign vessel owners in Nigeria. Those who went to represent NIMASA were sent out of the chamber.