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Nigeria’s President, Mohammadu Buhari has added more colour to the rebranding of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) with the recent approval of N3.8 billion from the Federal Executive Council for the lease of “fast-going vessels” to help it perform it statutory functions on the high seas.
The Honorable Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi revealed this to the press at the end of the 3rdAssociation of African Maritime Administrators (AAMA) annual conference which held in Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja recently.
Amidst the fanfare, NIMASA also unveiled its new logo which was done by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who represented the President and Commander in Chief President Muhammadu Buhari at the conference in Abuja showcasing a new NIMASA.
With this, NIMASA is expected to accelerate sustainable maritime development in Nigeria and show leadership in the regional maritime industry where there is an ongoing clamour for greater participation by Africans in the regions’ maritime trade and harness their GOD given resources for the development of the region.
The Director General of NIMASA Dr Dakuku Peterside who was elected the Chairman of AAMA at the conference, was applauded by the President for the good job he is doing in redirecting the affairs of the agency which before now has been trailed by negative media regarding high level corruption, cabalistical tendencies and bad corporate governance.
NIMASA desperately needs to restore confidence in the maritime system and begin to attract investors and build diverse maritime business portfolios for Nigeria. The extent of the Nigerian waters gives it the status of a maritime country but the musty terrain makes it one of the least optimized maritime countries in the world. This challenge is compounded by activities of the militants in the Niger Delta and piracy around the Gulf of Guinea.
How well the industry has fared after the rebranding and the effort to reposition NIMASA and the sister agency the Nigerian Navy who has been combating the menace will be reviewed at the 10th Nigerian International Conference and Expo NIMPORT 2017 in August this year.
The event over the years has sessions dedicated to addressing the security and safety challenges in Nigerian waters and the problems of engaging in legitimate maritime operations in Nigeria. At the 10th edition of the yearly event the organizers are looking at safety, security and maritime trade stability and with the Nigerian Navy and NIMASA as part of the NIMPORT committee, will be assessing the challenges, evaluating new developments and offering solutions.
