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Increasing trade volume, foreign direct investments indicative of Nigeria’s economic development, says NIMASA DG


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 NIMASA Director-General,  Ziakede Akpobolokemi

Mr Ziakede Akpobolokemi,
the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency
(NIMASA) says the increasing volume of
trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) is indicative of the nation’s
economic development.

He made the remark
while giving his goodwill message at the just-concluded 10
th All
Nigerian Editors Conference, which took place recently in Katsina State.
The director-general
noted that a strong economy was necessary and important for a stable democracy,
which can be created through credible election, to enable the citizens fulfil
their individual and collective aspirations.

Akpobolokemi, who was
represented by the Deputy Director/Head of Public Relations, Mr Isichei
Osamgbi, said the theme of the conference, ‘Credible Elections
and Good Governance, the Role of the Editor’
was timely as Nigeria was putting finishing touches to the
next general elections.
 He said Nigerians had reasons to be positive
about the future as the economy had been acknowledged to be on track to become
one of the 20 largest economies in the world by 2020.
According
to Akpobolokemi, Nigeria had been classified among MINT countries projected to
be future economic leader, which include Mexico, Indonesia and Turkey. He made
reference to the nation’s status as Africa’s largest economy, which rose from
52nd position in the year 2000 in the Gross Domestic Product, to 40th
in 2005 and 26th in 2014. 
In his
words: “Nigeria
is recognised as an emerging market with
expanding financial service, communications,
and entertainment sectors. Its re-emergent manufacturing sector is the
third-largest on the continent, and produces a large proportion of goods and
services for the West African sub-region. This is why we, at NIMASA play a key
role in ensuring that international and local operators have absolute
confidence in the Nigerian maritime environment.”
He assured that NIMASA
would continue to deliver on its own mandate and explained that the recent
Memorandum of Understanding the Agency signed with the Nigerian Air Force to
complement that with the Nigerian Navy was a way of further safeguarding the
country’s maritime domain.
The director-general
explained: As we all know, safety of lives and property is a significant
prerequisite for the growth and investment in any institution, sector or
society. This is why maritime safety and security is engrained in us in NIMASA.
It is a way of life; an aspect that is never compromised.”
In order to
effectively cover Nigeria and eight other countries under the Regional Maritime
Search and Rescue Centre, NIMASA has put in place robust maritime domain
awareness and response system, which led to the birth of the NIMASA Satellite
Surveillance Centre.
“Our desire is to provide safety for all those
doing business within Nigerian waters. With the NIMASA Satellite Surveillance
Centre, the Agency is now able to respond to any distress call on Nigerian
waters and even beyond. The new 24-hour Satellite Surveillance equipment has
the capability to detect boats, ships and objects of predefined cross-section
floating on water,”
Akpobolokemi further said.
He also reiterated the
Agency’s commitment to human capacity development, which is demonstrated in the
recent launch of the Nigeria Maritime University in
Okerenkoko, Delta State, to complement the Agency’s sponsorship of
maritime
institutes in four universities, namely the University of Lagos; University of
Nigeria, Nsukka; Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State; and
Niger Delta University, Amassoma, Bayelsa State.
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