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NIGERIA has explained why it exited the Maritime Organization for West and Central Africa, MOWCA. According to a statement signed by Eric Ojiekwe, director of Press, Federal Ministry of Transportation, the country left the organisation following the outcome of the election of the organisation, where the rules of procedure were disregarded in the nomination of candidates and election of the secretary-general of the organization.
Realnews reports that the delegation of Nigeria was at the 8th Bureau of Ministers and 15th General Assembly of MOWCA, which took place on Thursday, July 29, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, were the election held.
Th statement said that “It is sad and most depressing given Nigeria’s ardent and consistent support for MOWCA and its activities that as a nation it must take a stand against the promotion of illegality, disrespect for the rule of law and contravention of the Rules regarding election of the Secretary General of MOWCA.”
Nigeia took this position because the candidates presented for the position of the secretary general were over aged contrary to the rules which stipulates that those vying for the position will not be more than 55 years of age. Nigeria’s candidate is 55 while that of Guinea and the Republic of Benin are 60 and 62 years, respectively.
Objecting to this discrepancy, “Nigeria draws the attention of the General Assembly to the comment from MOWCA secretariat in the annotated Agenda circulated to the Committee of Experts meeting, which confirmed that Nigeria is the only country that met the age eligibility criteria requirement that candidates must not exceed 55 years”.
Based on the agenda Paul Adaliku, Nigerian candidate and director, Maritime Services, Federal Ministry of Transportation, was the only eligible candidate and should have been declared unopposed during the election.
The apparent willingness of some member States to consider for elections candidates who knowingly contravened the age criteria having exceeded the maximum age limit by more than 5 years in the case of Guinea and 7 years by Benin, does not portend well for the reputation and operation of MOWCA as a rule-based organization, the statement said.
The statement noted that no member State has supported MOWCA as much as Nigeria as the records show that she has contributed over $5million in the past 10 year to the organisation which does not employ a single Nigerian.
It noted that “not a single citizen of Nigeria has ever been employed in MOWCA, and that this is the first time that Nigeria has contested for the position of the secretary general of the organization even though it is an uncontested fact that it is essentially the contributions of Nigeria that has sustained the organization over the years.”
– Aug. 04, 2021 @ 09:14 GMT |
Tags: Why Nigeria left Maritime Organisation for West and Central Africa
