The prevailing belief in the country is that corruption in the Nigerian Armed Forces is often perpetrated by the Nigerian Army, recent developments have however shown that men of the Nigerian Navy are fast learning the ropes if not already overtaken men of the green uniform.

It would be recalled that the shady deals indulged in by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral Ganiyu Adekeye got exposed last year, not heeding the warning, another naval officer, the Commanding Officer (C.O) of the Nigerian Navy Base, Navy Town, Lagos, Navy Captain A.U. Hassan has just got his white uniform soiled, little thanks to an unwritten naval tradition he met when he took over as commander of the base in 2007; which makes it mandatory for Navy Town Okada (commercial motorcyclists) Operators Association to pay a monthly levy of N100,000 to the Commanding Officer.

The debacle unfolded due to the rumpus that played itself on Friday, 25^th January 2008, at the  Okada Park in the Base when the monthly levy of N700 per member was increased to N1000 to meet up with the monthly levy paid to the C.O, which was also upped from N100,000 to N150,000 per month. The over one hundred and fifty members of the association vehemently opposed this move but were tactically suppressed by the association’s executive.

According to very reliable sources, the associations through its principal officers levy members of the association the sum of N700 as sticker fees or monthly dues but which in actual sense is a member’s contribution to the monthly largesse presented to the commanding officer.

This illegal levy collection activity was allegedly introduced about ten years ago when commercial motorcycles popularly called okadas became one of the means of transport within the base and was already in effect during the tenures of Navy Captains Ogba and Odumosu and dishonourably continued by the incumbent commanding officer Navy Captain A.U. Hassan who has held fort for a little over a year.

Asked whether the money given to the C.O. was for the coffers of the Nigeria Navy, respondents maintained that money which had no receipts issued was definitely for the private and personal use of the Base’s top gun.

Further prodded on the benefits they must probably be deriving from such monthly payments, contrary was the case they said and that instead they actively take part in the environmental sanitation exercise which holds in the base twice a month, five female cleaners are on the association’s payroll to sweep and keep tidy the part apportioned to the association to maintain.

Informations reliably  gathered that the association begins the contribution of the monthly dues on the 25^th of every month and must be collected and given to the commanding officer before the end of the said month.

There were even allegations that the C.O. sometimes sends message to the association to get his ‘monthly allowance’ ready, and mere reluctance not even defiance may incur his wrath with threats of time in the guard room to seizure of the associations’ motorbikes.

Unfortunately after further investigations, it was reliably gathered that this unwholesome activity laced with unpleasantness is resident only at Navy Town, Satellite Town and was absent in other bases visited like the Officers Quarters, Okokomaiko; Malu /Mobil Road Barracks, Apapa; Junior Ratings Quarters, Iyana Ipaja and NNS Beecroft.

The residents of the area are praying that the Presidency caution the Navy High Command and order an investigation before the conducts of men of the Navy gets out of hand and become a source of embarrassment to the government.

Robot  # 1 | 02.02.2008 19:42

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