NIMASA plans to reposition maritime industry in 2008

THE Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) said it would reposition the country's maritime sector in 2008.

The agency's Director General, Dr. Shamsideen Dosunmu, told newsmen in Lagos over the weekend that there was the need to improve the current level of safety along the channels, increase search and rescue activities besides embarking on a full-scale war against pirates.

He said the focus of the agency also next year would be on the development of the sector's human and material capacity. The agency, he said, would need to improve its revenue yielding capacity in the new year.

Dosunmu said the plans to reposition the sector in 2008 was borne out of the need to give the country's image a push because of the new confidence recently reposed on her by the international maritime community which elected her into the council of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

"We are looking at the year 2008 with very high hopes, we are looking at it as a year when we will be able to consolidate on what we have done, we are looking at it as a challenging year that what ever we will do, must have the perception of the global maritime industry," Dosunmu said over the weekend.

He continued; "The maritime rescue co-ordinating centre is finally coming by first quarter of next year, we will step up our enforcement drive to meet up our legitimate functions. We have resolved that we will use all our resources to see that the level we have attained is sustained and never again will Nigeria be out of the IMO council," he said even as he revealed that the agency would soon take delivery of an helicopter to enhance its safety and search and rescue activities.

The NIMASA boss confirmed reports of high level of piracy and armed robbery on the Nigerian waters, saying a joint committee of the agency and the Navy would soon be put in place to patrol the nation's coastal area to control the menace.

He also said the agency under the emerging dispensation would need to acquire about 10 patrol boats to be able to effectively police the waterways "Piracy and armed robbery attacks on our waters is of great concern to us. It is a global concern that creates worries for us. Nigeria is rated number two in the world in terms of piracy attacks. In fact, if not for our achievements in other areas, this would have affected us in our election into the IMO council but we are committed to change this so that people do not see Nigeria as a place where you can come and do anything you want to do. Last week, we had a meeting with the Chief of Naval Staff and we agreed to have a committee on piracy and robbery on our waters"

Dosunmu also justified the move by the government to establish schools to absorb those that could not be absorbed when he said: "People are trying to play politics with the maritime school coming on in Badagry. The law establishing Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, is just like the law establishing the Nigerian Law School. We have the school in other places like Kano, Abuja and Enugu outside Lagos".

While defending allegations that the academy in Oron was being underfunded, Dosunmu said every fund that would be released to the school must be tied to specific projects that would need to be approved by the Ministry of Transportation.

"We must go away from this premodal sentiment that what is here should not be there. We are a maritime country by nature and we believe that we should be able to achieve great things like other maritime country."

Source:RamblerNews