Buhari Awards Tompolo's Maritime Security Contract To APC Chairman

Source: pointblanknews.com

Less than one year after President Mohammed Buhari, terminated the N1.5

billion monthly maritime security contract awarded to Global West Vessel

Services Limited (GWVSL), the Federal Government on Wednesday 21st

September, 2016 re-awarded the contract to the Rivers State Chairman of

the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Davies Ikanya, who was allegedly

said to have presented Snecou Financial Services Company Limited to

execute the job.
MMS Plus gathered that the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety

Agency (NIMASA), the agency under which the contract is carried out, has

issued an award letter to the favoured company, as NIMASA had written  to

the Bureau of Public Procurement(BPP) to obtain “NO Objection” permit to

use direct procurement for the engagement of the new company instead of

competitive bidding process in line with the procurement Act.

Global West has been associated with High Chief Government Ekpemupolo,

also known as Tompolo.
According to our source, there are some variations and other financial

services commitment in the new contract as against that of Tompolo, which

was provision of security for the waterways and pipelines called security

surveillance.
Under the Tompolo's briefs purportedly done through Public Private

Partnership (PPP), Global West procured over 20 vessels, mainly

monitoring and enforcement boats, under a Purchase, Operate and

Transfer(POT) agreement with NIMASA.
Under the new contract, whose full financial details have not been made

public, Snecou Financial Services Company Limited is to among other things

provide platforms for waterways monitoring and enforcement; engage in

revenue services enhancement and debt reconciliation and recovery services

for NIMASA.
In the words of our reliable source in NIMASA,” NIMASA appointed the

company and requested and got approval from BPP for no objection to use

direct procurement for the engagement of Snecou  Financial Services

Company Limited for the provision of revenue enhancement and debt

reconciliation and recovery services by NIMASA.  They are to take over all

the functions that were performed by Tompolo.  Award letter has been given

to the company, brought by the APC chairman, Rivers States.”

The aspect of debt recovery and revenue enhancement services for the

company was decided at the 55th Parastatals Tenders Board (PTB) of NIMASA

which took place on Friday September,2016 at  NIMASA's head office in

Lagos.
Following this resolution, a total of N4.8million is to be paid monthly to

Snecou Financial Services as engagement fees and other allowances for the

period of the two years contract, commencing from October 1st 2016 to 30th

September, 2018.
A breakdown of the contract terms shows that the sum of N3.2million will

be paid as Man-month rate to the company; the sum of N1.6million stated as

sum reimbursable. Also, the contract was anchored on success rate of 13

percent based on a benchmark of $19,753,012.36 and N239,607,155.52

monthly.
A maximum cap of 15 percent success rate is payable on any new revenue

head discovered  by the consultants within the contract period.

The PTB, however, noted that the recovery of outstanding debts owed NIMASA

is subject to a success rate payment as they are recovered on a “No Cure,

No Pay basis”.
Earlier, in the month of September, the Director General of NIMASA, Dr.

Dakuku Peterside in a meeting with members of Marine Environment

Management(MEM) department of the agency, had assured them that in two

weeks a contract for the provision of enforcement and monitoring platforms

would be given out  to provide the facilities.
The workers had complained about the absence of platforms for security

enforcement and monitoring.
Meanwhile, with the termination of Tompolo's contract, over 20 vessels in

the inventory of Global West were taken over by NIMASA, yet they lack

crafts to carry out their duties. As a result, observers have asked,”

where are the recovered vessels?”
The curiosity is further raised here when a NIMASA staff asserted that

those who man the vessels are naval personnel who are authorized by the

Constitution to police the water ways.
A further investigation by MMS plus revealed that the company engaged by

NIMASA for the water ways has integrity crises. Former Governor of Bayelsa

State, Timipre Sylva had allegedly used Snecou Group of Companies to

launder the state's money.
Consequently, then, the Bayelsa  State High Court Judge, Justice Kate

Abiri had granted an interim order stopping further deduction of

N300million monthly from Bayelsa State Account based on the Irrevocable

Statutory Payment Order(ISPO) signed between the administration of the

former governor and Snecou Group of companies over undisclosed  services

rendered  since 2007. The payment was stopped by the present governor,

Sirieka Dickson.
In 2010, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged

Snecou Group to Court for using unregistered  companies to defraud  the

sum of N5.6 billion belonging to Nasarawa State Government through

unexecuted contracts.
In September, 2012 Snecou Group was contracted by the Ghana government to

construct 4000 houses at the cost of 200million dollars, a parliamentary

approval was sought, but an advocacy group in Ghana, IMANI raised an

objection to the deal because of the credibility problem associated with

the company, actually owned by Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, a two time

gubernatorial candidate in Anambra State.
Courtesy:MMS
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