Ultimate magazine theme for WordPress.

Dakuku says creation of more agencies not solution to maritime security challenges

…Charges Stakeholders to Support
Regulatory Agencies for Industry Growth

From Right: Dr. Doyin Salami
a maritime consultant, the Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration
and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, The Executive Director
Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Mr. Gambo Ahmed and the Director Special
Duties, Hajia Lami Tumaka at 
the 2018 Half
Year Maritime Forecast Review which held at the Eko Hotels and Suites

The Director General of
the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Dakuku
Peterside has stated that creating additional agencies in the maritime sector
would only overburden the sector; adding that what needed to be done was to strengthen
the existing ones for optimum service delivery.

Dr. Peterside who
stated this during the 2018 Half Year Maritime Forecast Review which held at
the Eko Hotels and Suites said that there are already complaints by ship owners
that it is only in Nigeria that you have too many Agencies interfacing directly
with vessels calling at the Nation’s ports.
 “I have been
receiving a lot of complains by ship owners that different Government
agencies board their vessels to request for documents which many a times result
in duplication of duties  and increase the delay in turnaround time
of vessels. So it means if we create new agencies we are simply going to
overburden the sector which is enjoying a new level of progression under
President Muhammadu Buhari”, he said.
The NIMASA DG pointed
out that in order to avoid duplication of duties and support the Ease of Doing
Business Agenda of the Federal Government, the Agency has a Memorandum of
Understanding with the Armed forces as well as collaborations with the Nigerian
Customs Service, Nigerian immigration service, the Nigerian Police and even the
Central Bank of Nigeria.
He further said that
the current maritime regulatory agencies under the Ministry of Transportation
have enough mandates to ensure safety and security in the sector adding that
the Nigerian Navy could not be allowed to board merchant vessels for regulatory
activities according to International Maritime Organisation (IMO) regulations,
Merchant Shipping Act and other regulatory instruments that are in line with
global best practices.
“There is no way the
Nigerian Navy can act as a regulator in the sector and we have been working
together especially in line with the MoU that exists between us to ensure
security in the sector which is in line with what the IMO stipulates and so we
should not be thinking about creating more regulatory agencies or the Navy
taking the job of other regulatory agencies. The best thing to do is to
strengthen these agencies to be able to perform optimally,” he said.
He charged stakeholders
to support the Industry’s growth stating that things are changing at an
incredible pace and that there is the need to support the current maritime
agencies to dynamically position the sector for optimal benefits.
 Dr. Dakuku Peterside has continuously advocated the growth of the sector for
regular engagement of stakeholders to chart a way that is best beneficial to
the industry and indeed the Nigerian economy.

Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.