NISA Suspends 3 for Congratulating Marine & Blue Economy Minister
Otunba Sola Adewunmi, President of NISA
The Nigeria Shipowners Association (NISA) removed 3 members from the Association WhatsApp Platform for forwarding congratulatory messages of Minister of Marine and Blue Economy to Association WhatsApp Platform.
There are strong indications that disagreements which cropped up between members of the Nigeria Shipowners Association (NISÀ) over its Exco Election held in April this year is fast degenerating into a major crisis as a faction of the association which has reportedly taken over the control of the association’s affairs has removed three members from the Association WhatsApp Platform.
According to insiders’ reliable sources, the said suspension follows the forwarding a congratulatory message of Minister of Marine and Blue Economy to the Association WhatsApp Platform.
Grapevine reports that the faction who saw the congratulatory message forwarded to NISA WhatsApp Platform immediately removed the forwarder, Captain Kola Raheem, even as it was further disclosed that two other members believed not to be members of their faction were also removed from the Association WhatsApp Platform the following day; bringing to three the numbers said to have been removed from the Association WhatsApp Platform, the only communication channel of the Association.
A source close to NISA who spoke off record said “Upon the announcement of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, maritime stakeholders started sending congratulatory messages to the appointed Minister. Capt Kola Raheem forwarded one of the messages from online media to NISA WhatsApp Platform.
“The admin of the NISA WhatsApp platform acting under the instruction of the Trustees and the newly constituted Exco immediately removed Capt Kola Raheem and two other members from the WhatsApp Platform.
“The source said members removed were taken aback and astonished, and have been wondering if any offence was committed for forwarding the congratulatory message of the Minister in charge of Maritime to NISA WhatsApp Platform, adding that the action is “unconstitutional”.
“The action taken by the faction is against the constitution of the Association as there is no part of the constitution that gives absolute power to Exco or any member of Exco to remove, expel or dismiss any member of the Association.”
It will be recalled that after the controversial Exco Election in April , some members dragged the Association Incorporated Trustees to the Federal High Court challenging the alleged “illegal and kangaroo election in which some Exco were handpicked and foistedon the association amongst who were Otunba Sola Adewumi and Otunba Rowaye Jubril as President and General Secretary, respectively.
With the case still in court, stakeholders are saying neither the BOT nor the Exco purportedly put in place by a faction have authority to act in any capacity whatsoever.
With the reported removal of the three members, it remains to be seen how far NISA which is the stakeholder in the ongoing discussions regarding the disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Finance Fund ( CVFF) with the federal government will go.
