Secret UK properties: NIMASA, Falana, fight dirty

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency has described as untrue the claim made by human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) that the agency acquired three properties in England.

Falana had on Friday during an interview on a Channels Television programme, accused NIMASA of purchasing properties in the United Kingdom in order to accrue dollars.

“NIMASA has just bought three properties in England under this regime. For what? Just to take out dollars. Please, let us run this country in the interest of our people. We are not a poor country, but the government has managed it in such a way that poverty is in ascendency,” he had said.

Speaking on the floating of the naira, Falana said, “There’s no provision for floating the naira. It’s illegal. You say, ‘The value of the naira will be determined by market forces. That is not there in the law.

“I’ve had to sue the Central Bank of Nigeria at the Federal High Court because Section 16 of the Central Bank Act has imposed a duty on the Central Bank to fix and determine the rate of the naira vis-a-vis other currency.”

According to Falana, Section 20(1) of the CBN Act states that the official legal tender in Nigeria is solely the currency notes issued by the Central Bank, specifically the naira. He further explained that Section 20(5) of the Act deems it an offense, punishable by six months imprisonment, for anyone to use any other currency in Nigeria without the approval of the central bank.