Amaechi Probes Maritime Academy Rector Over Alleged N18bn Fraud

Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has ordered the probe the Maritime Academy of Nigeria following reports of financial recklessness and fraud emanating from the academy.
The academy’s rector, Mr Joshua Okpo reportedly stirred the hornet’s nest after accusing NIMASA for starving the school of funds through the agency’s alleged flagrant refusal to release the statutory five per cent subvention funds to the school.

Amaechi was said to have summoned the management of NIMASA to his office and asked why it was sitting on the subvention of MAN, Oron.
However, the bubble burst when the minister was told by the acting director-general of NIMASA, Mr Haruna Jauro that the agency has remitted over N18 billion to the academy since 2009.
At the enquiry of the minister, the MAN rector, Okpo said he only took over in 2011 to which NIMASA declared that a sum of N13 billion was remitted to the institution since the rector took over.
When asked to explain what he has done with that huge sum against the backdrop of lack of physical infrastructural development of the institution, Ekpo was said to have given
inconsistent and incoherent answer.
The minister therefore ordered immediate audit of all the amounts said to have been remitted to the institution since 2009.

Leadership