By Godwin Oritse

THE Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, has said that it cannot carry out the staff right-sizing exercise following a legal action instituted by some affected officers of the agency.

Peterside Dakuku

In an exclusive interview with  Vanguard Maritime Report, NIMASA’s Executive Directive in charge of Operations, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, said that the matter was discussed at the last management meeting and it was decided that the issue be put on hold.

Fashakin also said that but for the legal action the agency would have gone far in its right sizing exercise.

“We cannot  go on with the exercise because of the legal suit instituted by 25 of the officers involved in the matter.

“The process has been stalled by legal issues and until these issues are resolved, we cannot do anything” he stated.

On the issue of National Assembly, directing NIMASA to stop the right sizing exercise, Fashakin explained that the legislature cannot dictate to an agency of the Executive just as the National Assembly does not want the Executive to dictate to it.

Our correspondent sighted a directive from the National Assembly in which the Senate ordered that the exercise be suspended pending investigations.

It was confirmed that some of those who are likely to be affected by the exercise had used their influences in the National Assembly to truncate the plans.

Further inquiries revealed that most of those affected were employed during the tenure of the immediate past Director General of NIMASA, Mr Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi.

Vanguard Maritime Report  confirmed that some of them are in the cadre of Directors, Deputy Directors and  Assistant Directors.