A former naval officer, Commodore Promise Zebulon Dappa (rtd), has lamented two decades of unsuccessful fight against oil theft in Nigeria.

According to him, unless alleged complicity of the Navy in oil theft and other maritime crimes are addressed, winning the war could remain a mirage.

Dappa, who served as the Maritime Guard Commander at the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Lagos, disclosed that the nation’s weak institutions and failure to punish perpetrators of corrupt practices are a huge setback and discouragement to officers who are determined to do the right things.

According to him, honest officers, who are determined to stop illegal movements of petroleum products, are usually prevented from being posted to strategic areas where such acts exist; instead, top officers dedicate the biggest bases, like NNS BEECROFT in Apapa, NNS Pathfinder, Port Harcourt and Delta to their proteges for possible returns.

Dappa claimed that he was denied promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral due to his uncompromising stance against oil theft and other maritime crimes.

He said a former Chief of Naval Staff was one of the principal officers at the headquarters who was not happy with his actions.

Dappa alleged he was denied privileges commensurate with his rank and ability, including promotion on three occasions.

He said: “When all the forces against my insistence to stop oil theft succeeded in removing me from NIMASA, the protege of the former naval boss was appointed to take over from him.

“When in 2016, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigated the operations of NIMASA, two officers that took over from me were indicted of fraudulent practices.”

He said the EFCC went to court and obtained an order of final forfeiture of some properties and huge sums of money from the officers in November 2018 and in December.

He claimed that in the same year, one of the indicted officers was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral but he (Dappa) was refused promotion, in spite of his performances at the Promotion Selection Board and his activities in curbing oil theft while at NIMASA.

Dappa said if not for pecuniary gains, why would all the Chiefs of Naval Staff make it a tradition to always send their aides and proteges to command bases where oil theft is prevalent. And none of them has been investigated or queried, in spite of the continued outcry in the country against oil theft.

He said: “The impunity and callousness of the Chiefs of Naval Staff have vitiated the force and hampered its capacity to function effectively. I am, therefore, calling on the President, in line with his Renewed Hope Agenda, to step in and sanitise the Navy by ordering an investigation into these fraudulent promotions and abuse of office by past and present Chiefs of Naval Staff. This will help to restore confidence in the system, thereby improving efficiency.”

He also called on the President to set up a Navy Service Commission that will be responsible for handling administrative issues like promotion, appointments, recruitments and even logistics supply, so that the Navy itself can concentrate on operations.

He appealed that honest officers, who were unjustly denied promotion, should have their cases reviewed and their entitlements restored.

The Public Relations Unit of the Nigerian Navy, said it had heard the allegations and would respond in due course. (The Guardian)

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