JONAS EZIEKE, Abuja
The Standing Committee on Navy in the House of Representatives has expressed its dissatisfaction over the dismissal of Seaman Abbas’, refusal to provide information and alleged acquisition of a foreign platform without proper disclosure and due process.
Chairman of the Committee Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi stated this while addressing journalists after a closed-door session with the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla and other officers at the Naval headquarters in Abuja on Monday.
He said that they visited the Naval headquarters as part of their statutory constitutional responsibilities of oversight function saying that, every House committee has the constitutional right to come for oversight function.
He said, “So we came to interact with the Navy, to ask questions on taxpayers’ money, how money appropriated to Navy is being spent,how intervention by the good president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is being judicially used by the Navy, how the junior officers and the senior officers are being treated by the senior officers of the Navy, including the famous case of Seaman Haruna, how he was suddenly dismissed.
“It is our responsibility on behalf of the Nigerian people to ask Navy questions on these pertinent issues. We have asked them. We are generally not comfortable.
“We have said that we will go to all naval commands and bases to perform a deep-rooted oversight function to know how resources are being used and how disciplinary matters is being handled by the Nigerian people. So by the special grace of God, it’s not a new thing.
“And I have to tell you, without any fear of contradiction, the committee is not satisfied ok, specifically on the Seaman Abass issue”.
Gagdi lamented that the Committee had also written to the Navy to provide some needed information ahead of the visit which he said was unbecoming of the Nigerian Navy, especially looking at the importance of the information to the Committee before they embark on their visit.
The lawmaker stated, “Beyond that, on Seaman Abass issue, on non-response to letters written by this committee demanding for documents to be delivered, to guide us in our oversight function, and for acquiring foreign platform without the knowledge of the committee, and so many things.
“And we cannot say anything now until we go to see those projects that have been executed or platforms that have been built.Then we come back with you here and have another interface with them”.
Earlier, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral, Emmanuel Ogalla said the Nigerian Navy is the most difficult arm on the operations of the Nigerian Armed Forces which Nigerians misunderstood most and are not fully aware of its operations.
He informed that, its areas of operations cover 290,000 Kilometers which he said is one-tenth of the nation’s landmass.
Ogalla noted that the Navy performs policing functions in the maritime sector as well as complements Customs, Police and other paramilitary agencies operations which he said became more prominent in recent times due to the security, economic and other challenges facing the country.
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