The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola casts a vote of confidence in the Dr Bashir Jamoh-led management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), on account of concrete evidence of innovative projects achieved by the agency in the maritime business sector under Jamoh leadership
By Innocent Chukwu
The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), visibly blushed on Tuesday, September 5, 2023. The very cause of his blushing aroused a moment of triumph for the agency and its management team during the visit of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, to NIMASA Headquarters in Lagos and the agency’s facilities.
Oyetola particularly reputed for not endowed with light-hearted demeanor could be beam a smile momentarily on this day while he spoke to the media on his candid impression of what he observed in NIMASA and its facilities. He simply expressed satisfaction at what he saw. Thus the Minister’s statement to the effect that the need to secure the nation’s maritime domain and waterways, which NIMASA was earnestly pursuing, was top on the agenda of the Federal Government because it could encourage maritime tourism which is capable of improving and sustaining the country’s economy.
The Minister said, “Nigeria has about 853 kilometers of coastline which is in abundance for maritime tourism. The first thing is to ensure the security of our waterways so that people will use it for transportation.
“We need to invite investors. In Kenya, there is a particular beach that contains 10,000 villas. Imagine the kind of revenue they get from there? I want us to be able to ensure that investors will come to invest in the sector. Investors will not want to invest if we can’t guarantee security. So, the first thing is to ensure that security of our waterways is guaranteed”.
Commenting on his satisfaction with the performance of the Dr. Jamoh-led management of NIMASA in security and other landmark achievements, Oyetola said, “They (NIMASA management) have done very well. I have seen the Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4i) and they have reduced the level of piracy to zero, we should sustain that.
“If we are able to encourage people to come and invest in our coastline, we will get the maximum benefit that other nations in the world are getting.
“I have been to NIMASA facilities, Enforcement area, Head Office, the training school, the C4i manning the security of our waterways. I am impressed with what I have seen so far, and I think we are really ready for the Marine and Blue Economy in the real sense of it.
“Where we have issues, we are going to look at them with the view to ensuring that we are able to really prepare the ministry to face the challenges ahead”.
The Minister said that NIMASA’s huge investments in the maritime domain security and human capital development under Jamoh was commendable and should be a model for other agencies in the country, performance-wise. He charged NIMASA leadership to take proper charge of the nation’s coastline and waterways in order to ensure that Nigeria achieved her full potential in the maritime sector for economic growth. “This is the time for us to take control of our waterways and coastline to harness potential for our growth”, Oyetola added.
The NIMASA Deep Blue Project remains a highly sophisticated security approach in the maritime domain in the estimation of the agency’s stakeholders. The project is often upgraded with the addition of security hardware for operation by the Jamoh leadership. Recently the Nigerian Navy declared that the NIMASA Deep Blue Project had been fully deployed to tackle issues of insecurity on Nigerian waters.
The Nigerian Navy said assets acquired by NIMASA, under the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, otherwise known as the Deep Blue project, have been deployed across the South West, Central and Eastern Zonal operations to enhance patrol of the Nigerian maritime domain.
The Acting Fleet Commander, Western Naval Command and Commander Deep Blue Project, Commodore Victor Choji, said this during a working visit by the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Mohammed Abdullahi, to the Management of NIMASA. He added that the Nigerian Navy is fully committed to the success of the Deep Blue Project.
He said, “The assets have already been well deployed.
As we speak five armored vehicles are deployed in Port Harcourt and three in Bonny”.
Choji also said that the project team deployed 10 more vehicles there, in addition to a drone unit in Bonny and some personal adding that during the last general elections in the country, the mere presence of deep blue assets in those locations provided the needed inference that was required.
He further explained that in the Central Zone Command, the Navy has deployed three units of special mission elements in brass and two of the interceptor boats with the special intervention force elements in the Central Command.
He stated: “In Lagos, just last week, we got a directive that there is a requirement and we are about to deploy two interceptor boats to support the operations that are ongoing in Lagos Inland waters. I can state categorically that we have the full backing of the Nigerian Navy for the success of the Deep Blue Project.”
On his part, Dr Bashir Jamoh, noted that the assets acquired by the Agency under the Deep Blue Project are all managed by a project team headed by a Commodore of the Nigerian Navy. He restated the Agencys commitment to a robust relationship with the Nigerian Navy towards the economic development of the country.
“I believe that the Agency and the Nigerian Navy have a lot in common to ensure safety and security in the nations waters. While the Nigerian Navy takes care of the kinetic operations, NIMASA concentrates on non-kinetic operations, and the two will have to go hand in hand if we must succeed.
If you look at the armed forces act, the Nigerian Navy has a role to play in ensuring the implementation and enforcement of the NIMASA and Customs & Excise act”, he added.
Jamoh expressed the desire of NIMASA to earn full value for funds invested and still investing in the operations of the Deep Blue Project.
He also noted that the Agency is in constant liaison with the National Assembly to ensure an update of the nations maritime laws with particular reference to the Merchant Shipping Act to guarantee adequate punitive measures are in the law to deter criminalities on Nigerian waters.
While commending the Nigerian Navy for their efforts in tracking erring vessels which switched off their Automatic Identification System, AIS, in Nigerian waters, Jamoh called for improved synergy amongst all organs of Government in the maritime sector, particularly, the Nigerian Navy and the marine arm of the Nigerian Police to quickly tackle head on; pockets of recent criminalities in the Lagos anchorage and Inland waters.
Under its strategic manpower development pursuit, NIMASA said recently that it had commenced the electronic registration of seafarers, even as the agency disclosed that it had deployed a total of 11,956 seafarers on board Cabotage vessels between 2021 and 2023.
NIMASA digitalizes seafarers’ registration, places over 11,000 onboard Cabotage vessels
In a statement signed by the Head of Public Relations Department of the agency, Mr. Osagie Edward, Dr. Jamoh said that one of the cardinal principles of the Cabotage regime is the localization of manning of vessels operating in Nigerian waters.
He said NIMASA has ensured the placement of Nigerian seafarers on board Cabotage vessels in line with its placement function and the provisions of the Cabotage Act, 2003 adding that Cabotage manning applications are now processed on the condition that all foreign crew, especially Ratings, on board vessels are to be replaced with Nigerian seafarers/cadets within two-three weeks of operations.
According to Jamoh, “NIMASA under the current administration has placed 3,705 seafarers onboard Cabotage vessels in the year 2021, while 7,238 seafarers were placed in 2022 and 1,013 placed in 2023 (Jan – July). Overall, a total of 11,956 Nigerian seafarers have been placed onboard Cabotage vessels from January-2021 to July- 2023.
“Registration and Documentation have now been digitalized as the establishment of the e-registration platform is to enable the online and real-time registration of maritime labour (seafarers & dockworkers), maritime labour employers (shipping companies, manning/crewing agents, stevedoring companies, jetties/terminals operators) and operators (bonded terminals, inland container deports, off dock terminals, dry ports offshore platforms) in Nigeria;
“It is worthwhile to mention that the maritime labour E-registration platform is a robust integrated information, verification and communication facility that provides real-time information on maritime labour registration processes and operations as well as enables the online registration and verification of documents, and the issuance of operational licenses timely.
“The platform is also meant to serve as a database from which statistics can be extrapolated for national planning, policy formulation, human and infrastructural development and research purposes. NIMASA is in the process to host the E-registration platform on the Agency website.
“Furthermore, 3,219 and 3,619 seafarers were registered in the years 2021 and 2022 respectively with 1176 registered in the year 2023 (Jan-July).
”In the same vein, 24 MLC, 2006 certificates were issued in the year 2021, 49 MLC, 2006 certificates issued in the year 2022 and 63 MLC, 2006 certificates have been issued in the year 2023 (Jan-July). Thus, a total of 8,014seafarers have been registered from 2021 to 2023 (Jan-July) and 136 MLC, 2006 certificates issued after inspections within the same years.
“Additionally, 65 stevedoring companies, 26 terminal/jetty operators and 1,395 dockworkers have been registered from 2021 to 2023 (Jan-July).”
