Nigerian Maritime Under Siege: As Pen Wielding Blackmailer Goes On Rampage
By Okon Edet
The Nigerian Maritime industry, which is said to have the potentials of being the second largest income earner for the nation is grappling with a unique challenge of being held hostage by a cabal which has mastered the act of milking the industry while using a ring of blackmailers to perpetuate a reign of terror. The major disturbing issue is the use of the media, led by a veteran in the blackmail industry.
While the likes of Dele Alake, Segun Adeniyi, and Femi Adeshina many others from the stable of concord group have grown in stature to become spokes persons for Governors, Presidents, and Media consultants at the highest level, another product of the MKO Abiola Concord brains have now earned for himself the toga of the lead blackmailer in the maritime industry. A man who in 2023 stage managed the kidnap of his daughter and opened a WhatsApp group seeking funds. He had to end that fake kidnap saga when security operatives were closing up on him.
Beks’s methods are straightforward and proven effective: he uses his platform to target industry stakeholders, often threatening to publish damaging reports unless they meet his demands. These demands are not limited to financial extortion; they also include calls for favorable contracts, appointments, and other forms of patronage. For those who refuse, Beks wields his pen as a weapon, fabricating stories and tarnishing reputations. He succeeded when he got his baby mama employed as a staff of NIMASA and same year got his son on the NSDP programme which is a scholarship worth over $100,000 thousand Dollars.
The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, and the Nigerian Ports Authority have had their share of blackmail saga from him. He practically tried balkanizing ANLCA for selfish reasons about two years ago.
The Nigerian Ports Authority NPA had succumbed to his antics during the Rotimi Amaechi era as Minister of Transportation when Anthony Oguguo alias Asu Beks secured a dubious training contract and engaged the services of a seasoned communications professor from Lagos State University to facilitate since he doesn’t have the capacity. When he declined to pay for services rendered, the story became public.
He is known for speaking from both sides of his mouth. In one breath, he condemned the appointment of His Excellency Adegboyega Oyetola as the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy. However, within days, when he realized that his blackmail antics have failed, he shamelessly published an unsolicited public apology on the 3rd of January this year.
Beks’s actions have undermined public confidence in maritime journalism. His blackmail campaigns have blurred the line between legitimate investigative reporting and outright slander, making it difficult for stakeholders and the general public to distinguish between credible news and fabricated stories.
The activities of this blackmailer and his ring have had a corrosive effect on the Nigerian maritime sector. They have created an environment of fear and distrust, where industry players are more concerned with avoiding his wrath than focusing on the development and growth of the sector. Chief Executives in the sector who venture investigate illegal activities in the sector have Asu Beks to contend with as he is on the payroll of those who milk the industry for personal gains. At the moment, he is using the tools of the media to attempt disrupting an ongoing investigation into a well-orchestrated crime against the Nigerian maritime industry running into millions of dollars.
It is imperative for industry stakeholders to unite in addressing the menace posed by Beks. This can be achieved through collective action, where maritime companies and professionals refuse to bow to his demands and instead support each other in exposing and countering his tactics.
“A stitch in time saves nine or stop Beks now and grow our maritime space” one of the parables must be suitable for our maritime sector.
Okon Edet is P R O of Concerned, Save Maritime Nigeria Group.
