Nigeria’s federal government has announced the exit of Nigeria from the Maritime Organisation for West and Central Africa (MOWCA) over what it described as blatant disregard for the rules of procedure on the selection of a new Secretary-General of the regional body.
Nigeria’s Channels Television cites the Spokesperson of Ministry of Transportation of Nigeria, Eric Ojiekwe, as saying that the decision followed breaches to the rules of procedure regarding the eligibility of candidates nominated for the position of Secretary-General for the organization.
The decision, according to the ministry, was contained in a statement by the Nigerian delegation at the 8th Bureau of Ministers and 15th General Assembly of MOWCA held last Thursday in Kinshasha, Congo.
The West African nation was of the view that its nominee for the Secretary-General position in the person of Dr. Paul Adalikwu was the only eligible candidate and should have been declared unopposed.
“It should be noted that not a single citizen of Nigeria has ever been employed in MOWC…even though it is an uncontested fact that it is essentially the contributions of Nigeria that have sustained the organization over the years,” read a part of the statement announcing the exit.
According to the statement, Nigeria has doled out over US$5million in the past 10 years with the organization.
Source: Channels Television