By Linus Aleke, Abuja
The Naval Headquarters, Wednesday, denied trending online report that the out gone Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, has refused to hand over to his successor, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, over contract payment, amounting to billion of dollars.
The Service said that the allegations in the said trending reports are total lies, misleading and capable of spreading falsehood to unsuspecting members of the public.
Peoples Gazette, an online news portal, had exclusively reported that Awwal Gambo has remained in office and rejected pleas to hand over power to his successor Ikechukwu Ogalla, two days after President Bola Tinubu approved changes at the top brass of the nation’s military.
The exclusive report which gained traction online, added that Mr Gambo, 57, said he would leave office on Friday because he had to pay contractors and naval officers from an outstanding capital vote to the tune of billions of naira before leaving office, according to multiple sources at the Nigerian Navy headquarters in Abuja.
But a statement by Spokesperson of the Nigerian Navy, Commodore Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, said, it is necessary to put the record straight.
According to the statement, “The attention of the Naval Headquarters has been drawn to a malicious publication by some online media such as Peoples Gazette, opr.news, hallmarknews and others alleging the refusal of the outgoing Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral AZ Gambo CFR to hand over to the incoming Chief of the Naval Staff, Rear Admiral EI Ogalla. The media reports are totally lies, misleading and capable of spreading falsehood to unsuspecting members of the public. It is therefore necessary to put the record straight. Suffice to state that handing and taking over ceremony in the Nigerian Navy from inception is procedural”.
Commodore Ayo-Vaughan, while refuting the report, explained that upon the announcement of the change of the ‘Watch on deck’, the outgoing CNS is expected to give detailed brief to the incoming CNS, tour key naval facilities and perform the ceremonial lowering of ensign.
Accordingly, he said, the programme of events leading to the formal handing and taking over ceremony has kicked off to culminate at a public ceremony on Friday 23 June 2023 in line with age-long naval tradition.
“Instructively, it is pertinent to mention that sister Services are also due to hand over as they have set aside specific dates for their handing and taking over ceremonies,” he further said.
The Naval Spokesperson, however, advised the public to discountenance the malicious publication, as well as treat the erroneous information contained therein as a figment of the reporter’s imagination.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Gazette, in the said report, noted that While other service chiefs have since departed following the June 19 presidential directive, Mr Gambo has lingered in office, saying he has some unfinished business to wind up, according to sources familiar with the development.
Accordingly to the report, “We have been begging him to comply with the order of the president and vacate office for the new person that was appointed.”
Mr Gambo reportedly said he was responsible for the release of the funds to the Nigerian Navy and will not be leaving office until entitled contractors and naval officers had been paid.
Sources said Mr Gambo insisted that the payment to contractors may be delayed by his successor, even though he was assured that the navy would meet all valid contractual obligations.
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He wants to pay contractors, himself and other naval officers some billions in capital,” a senior naval officer told The Gazette. “We have never seen anything like this before in our service.”
“He should realise that any action he takes after the president’s public announcement is null and void in the Nigerian Navy,” the official added.
Mr Gambo also said he wanted to oversee the disbursement of millions of dollars for emergency repair work on the NNS Aradu, one of the largest ships in the navy.
“He also mentioned that he was finalising payment for the repair of NNS Aradu, despite our conclusion that the ship should be decommissioned and sent to the naval museum,” a source said.
The navy under Mr Gambo had reportedly budgeted $200 million for the repairs, even though he was advised to take the ship, first commissioned in 1980, out of service,” the report reads in part.
