The achievements of the current Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh would make his predecessor green with envy, the reason the outgoing administration of President Mohammadu Buhari would always cite the agency as metaphor for giant strides of his administration
By Miracle Egbo
Date was Saturday, 21st May 2023. Venue: Nigerian Maritime Resource Development Centre, NMRDC Kiriki, Lagos. The premises crawled with people who thronged to it to have a glimpse of giant strides of Dr. Bashir Jamoh, Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA. For hours people waited patiently for the man of the moment who in few years in the saddle had wrought many achievements in the agency that the staffers are proud to be associate with. Exactly at 1.30 pm aboard a ferry he (Jamoh) berthed at the venue of the commissioning of myriad of projects, he was welcomed with rousing ovation by the staffers of the agency and the general public present.
When Jamoh sauntered into the venue of the commissioning, the ovation from the members of the staff and the public swallowed him, no thanks to his height that shared something in common with full stop. However, by the time he mounted the rostrum to reel out his achievements, his physical growth appreciated to the extent that his height could be sighted miles away. Jamoh regaled his audience with the story of the agency that he inherited with moribund infrastructure which he has been able to turn around to the envy of all and sundry. Many people at the event were excited that Jamoh happened to the agency, the main reason for towering achievements of the agency under the watch of Jamoh since the creation of the agency. Hitherto the agency was known to be the cesspit of corruption but immediately Jamoh happened to the agency, the image of the agency took a turn for good. What with the zero corruption tolerance of the current Director General of the agency which has been contagious in the agency.
The purification exercises embarked upon in the agency by Dr. Jamoh have started to yield positive results as could be seen in series of projects done within a short period of time. According to the Director General of NIMASA, the agency has been persistent and relentless in the fight against maritime crimes and insecurity while also striving at making the nation’s waterways and general maritime ecosystem safe. He said that the inclusion of the security and patrol boat along with the search and rescue/pollution control boats to the Deep Blue Project assets are particularly with the intent to intensify the internal security of the waterways, taking into cognizance the recent proliferation of oil theft in the country.
At the colourful event, the agency commissioned 10 security boats which include five state-of-the –art patrol boats, five refurbished search and rescue/pollution control boats and four staff ferries with 35 seaters. Other infrastructures of NIMASA commissioned same day by the Minister of Transport, Mu’Azu Jaji Sambo include world class search and rescue clinic for the NMRDC, NIMASA’s search and rescue Base Clinic located on Azare Crescent, Apapa, and communication gadgets for an enhanced maritime security. There were the commissioning of the administrative blocks as well as the groundbreaking ceremony at the construction site of the NIMASA’s Skills Acquisition Centre located in Apapa, Lagos.
The five security boats were named after President Mohammadu Buhari, Senator Gbemi Saraki, Rotimi Amaechi, Engineer Mu’Azu Jaji Sambo and Dr. Bashir Jamoh. Also the staff ferries were named after Yemisi Folasade, Otunba Kunle Folarin, Alhaji Lawal Keitta, Boss Mustapha, Magdaline Ajani and Honourable Linda Ikpeazu.
One of the ferries would be used to ferry staffers to work, making it possible for them to beat the problematic traffic bottlenecks that have been the challenge of road users in Lagos. Some of the staffers who spoke to Tentacle expressed happiness for the provision of the ferries for staff, adding that it would allow staffers to bond together while they ferry together to work instead of going separately to office. “We are proud of the achievements of Jamoh as the Director General of the agency. It is a good thing that he happened to the agency, and you could see a great transformation since he took over the saddle of leadership in the agency. We are pleased with his leadership”, offered a staffer who does not want his name on print.
Speaking at the event, the outgoing Minister of Transport, Sambo who commissioned the 13 boats, and other infrastructures said that Dr. Jamoh has performed credibly as NIMASA-DG, insisting that he has outperformed his predecessors
Sambo said that the projects will enable the country to achieve and sustain safe, secure shipping, cleaner oceans and enhance maritime capacity. According to him, the Search and Rescue Clinic will enable the agency fulfill its obligation to seafarers and the general public by way of providing top-notch medical facilities. He advised the agency to embrace the maintenance culture so that these beautiful edifices would not rot away for the lack of maintenance which has been the bane of many national assets across government agencies.
Sambo: “These platforms will give NIMASA the much needed tools required to function as a maritime administrator in line with the protocols and conventions of the International Maritime Organisation, IMO and International Labour Organisation, ILO to which NIMASA represents Nigeria as its contracting agency.
“The completion of the just mentioned projects by NIMASA shows the agency’s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of Nigerian waters”.
Linda Ikpeazu , Chairman of the House Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration, expressed her happiness in what she saw commissioned. She said that the 9th Assembly is delighted to be associated with the giant strides recorded under the watch of Dr.Jamoh as the Director General of the agency. She advised the agency to imbibe maintenance culture so as to preserve these beautiful assets so that posterity would be proud of them.
Earlier in his welcome address, Dr. Jamoh had said, “The inclusion of the security/patrol boats along with the search and rescue/pollution control boats to the Deep Blue Project assets are particularly with intent to intensify the internal security of the waterways with the inclusion of the pollution control boats taken into cognizance the recent proliferation of oil theft.
“The search and rescue clinic has also become quite important as cases of seafarers who experience attacks need emergency medical attention and we have to be prompt so as to ensure their safety and survival”.
