President Bola Tinubu said the plan by the Federal Ministry of Transportation to investigate, recall and replace the Secretary General of the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA), Dr Paul Adalikwu, was inappropriate and should be discountenanced immediately.
Tinubu, in a letter signed by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, said Adalikwu has ceased to be an employee of Nigeria and is only subjected to rules of the MOWCA, which he served until the expiration of his tenure.
It would be recalled that in August 2023, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr Magadalene Ajani, had appointed the Deputy Director of Reforms Coordination at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nneka Ogochukwu Obianyor, as the new Secretary-General of MOWCA to replace Adalikwu.
The nomination and planned replacement failed as it was at variance with the MOWCA rules of procedure, which provides for the election of the Secretary-General and expresses the conferment of nomination powers, in case of a vacuum in the office of the Chairman of the Bureau of Ministers of the organisation.
Tinubu described Adalikwu as an international public servant who has ceased to be an employee of the Federal Government of Nigeria and therefore should not be subjected to the country’s Public Service Rules.
The letter, which was sighted by The Guardian, dated December 15, 2023, was copied to the Director General, National Intelligence Agency (NIA); Minister of Transportation, Nigeria; Minister, Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Nigeria; Minister of Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Minister of Transport, Republic of Congo and Chairman of MOWCA at the organisation’s headquarters in Abidjan.
Tinubu said Adalikwu cannot be subjected to or come under the disciplinary control of the Federal Government of Nigeria, noting that disciplinary control and administrative processes against him can only be exercised in line with the rules of MOWCA.
He said the public service rules of Nigeria cannot apply to him while in the service of the organisation.
Tinubu said the MOWCA scribe can therefore not be recalled and replaced by Nigeria unless he has committed crimes of such gravity or serious misconduct that threatens the national security of the country that sponsored him for election to the position of Secretary General of MOWCA.
He said the request for his recall and withdrawal in the circumstances described in the report is inappropriate and should be discountenanced.
“In light of the foregoing and after due consideration, the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy is hereby directed to stop forthwith any process or move to recall and withdraw Adalikwu until he concludes his tenure,” part of the letter read.
Tinubu’s intervention and written communication seem to have put the six months of speculation and perceived uncertainty, as to who Nigeria’s nominee for the position to rest.
