The Daily IIJ

By Nuruddeen M. Abdallah
Federal Government has awarded N16 billion contract to former Niger Delta warlord to provide security and “enforce regulatory compliance and surveillance of the entire Nigerian Maritime domain,” documents obtained by Daily Trust show.
The contract, totaling USD103.4 million (about N16bn) for strategic concessioning partnership between Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and Messrs Global West Vessel Specialist Limited, was brought to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval in a memo dated January 5, 2012 with reference number EC (2012)24.

The company, according to checks, is owned by one of the famous Niger Delta repented warlords, whose records include killings, kidnappings as well as destruction of oil pipe lines and installations before he was granted amnesty by late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua.

This story was first exclusively reported sometime last year by our sister publication, Sunday Trust, when this same ex-militant’s company was awarded another plum contract for the provision and running of five boats for marine security patrol at the cost of N49.7 million monthly for services that could cost far less than that.

Even though sources close to NIMASA told Daily Trust that Global West is owned by a former Niger Delta militant, information from the Corporate Affairs Commission in Abuja show that the company is registered in some other persons’ names and the ex-militant’s name did not feature among the directors of the company.

Findings by Daily Trust show that the firm was registered on January 25, 2008 with a share capital of N25 million and had Romeo Itima and William Itima as the only shareholders and directors at incorporation.

But it expanded the ownership to six directors on April 17, 2009 by incorporating four additional names. They are Floatinci Charge, Emmanuel Wenekad Tupede-Ebi Diffa, Olugbenlia Leke Oyekole and Onbo Godswill Siempre Aye.

The documents show that both the Due Process office and Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) have certified the contract and the President also granted anticipatory approval for the project through a letter dated January 9, 2011 with reference number PRES/99/MT/61.

The contract, the documents said, will last for an initial period of 10 years and renewable for two terms of five years each. It added that the National Security Adviser (NSA), in a letter dated May 19, 2011 said that the project has security implication.