NIWA Debunks False Allegations Against MD Oyebamiji, Minister Oyetola Over Baro Port Project
In a firm rebuttal to recent misinformation circulating online, the Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO) Media Fronts has categorically dismissed claims suggesting that the Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, His Excellency Adegboyega Oyetola, have been indicted in connection with the Baro Inland Port project.
The media team described the allegations as baseless, misleading, and a deliberate smear campaign orchestrated by political elements threatened by the rising profile of Oyebamiji in Osun State’s political landscape. They clarified that neither Oyebamiji nor Oyetola was in public office at the time of the project’s commissioning in January 2019 by the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
“It is irresponsible and dishonest to insinuate any form of corruption or indictment against the current NIWA Managing Director or the Honourable Minister,” the statement reads. “Both men only assumed their current roles in 2023 and 2024 respectively—well after the Baro Port was built and inaugurated.”
Addressing the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on the Rehabilitation and Operationalisation of the Baro Inland Port on Tuesday, 29th July 2025, Asiwaju Oyebamiji presented a comprehensive briefing on the current state of the port. He traced its history back to 1908 under the colonial administration of Lord Frederick Lugard, with upgrades during the First Republic under Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa.
According to Oyebamiji, the port remains inactive not due to mismanagement but as a result of critical infrastructure deficits, particularly the disuse of the Baro-Minna-Zaria-Kano rail corridor and the deplorable state of access roads to the port. He called on the House Committee to engage the Ministry of Works and the Nigerian Railway Corporation to fast-track necessary repairs and connectivity.
Committee members reportedly commended the NIWA boss for his transparency and leadership, and extended an invitation to both Oyebamiji and Minister Oyetola to join them on a physical inspection of the port next week—further discrediting the notion of any wrongdoing.
“The notion that individuals under investigation would be invited to collaborate on a site inspection and praised for their diligence is both illogical and absurd,” the AMBO Media Fronts stressed.
They also alleged that the peddlers of the false report are politically motivated actors attempting to discredit Oyebamiji’s growing popularity ahead of the 2026 Osun gubernatorial elections. “These malicious rumours are desperate attempts by political jobbers to distract from their own integrity crises, including ongoing EFCC investigations into the misappropriation of local government funds,” the statement said.
The AMBO Media Front reaffirmed Oyebamiji’s commitment to public service and to the economic revitalisation of Nigeria’s inland waterways, while urging the public to disregard the fabricated narratives being circulated for political gain.
“The people of Osun are discerning,” the statement concluded, “and they know better than to be swayed by those who have failed to deliver and now resort to deception.”
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