“You have chosen a very noble course as brave men and women, only the brave will chose to enlist in our military. As courageous men and women, you have offered to make all forms of sacrifices first for the good of our country and for all of us your country men and women so that we can move about freely; most importantly so that the territorial integrity of our nation will be protected”

The Director General of the the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) agency, Dr. Dakuku Peterside has reassured maritime stakeholders that the Agency will not abdicate its responsibilities for any reason.

Addressing maritime operators in the Eastern part of Nigeria, Dakuku stated that for effective operations and prompt services, the Agency is working very hard at Decentralizing it services and devolving powers to the Zonal offices to avoid delays.

The Director General said the Agency is being restructured, repositioned and re-organized for greater productivity and efficiency also observed that the reform is expected to give the Zonal offices more powers to execute the mandate of the Agency effectively and eliminate the bottlenecks currently associated with the processes.

“Most of our operations now are going to reside in the zones. And that you don’t need to come to Lagos now for anything at all. Apart from the fact that we are devolving more powers to the Zones, we are automating all our processes. You don’t need the Head Office, you don’t need anybody once we conclude the automation of our processes’’.

For instance Dakuku explained that “If you want to register a Cabotage vessel, you simply go online, provide all the documents you need, make your payment online and of course you get an interim certificate or a provisional certificate. With your provisional certificate, after sometime you can walk into any NIMASA Zonal Office and get your original certificate. That’s our dream for NIMASA and by the special grace of God after one month, we hope that that process will be in place”

The NIMASA helmsman also spoke on issues such as:

Discharge Book

While acknowledging the initial challenges with printing Discharge Books which he noted are akin to the international passport because of their security features, Dr. Peterside said that the teething problems have now been overcome both at the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC). He therefore assured stakeholders that the difficulty associated with getting the document will be a thing of the past in another one month.

Sea Time

On the issue of sea time training for Nigerian cadets, Dr. Peterside noted that the Agency is committed to growing human capacity in the industry and has already devised a number of initiatives where the cadets of the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) will get sea time experience to enable them get gainful employment.

Cabotage

Describing the Cabotage Act as an important pillar for home grown capacity for the sustainable development of the Nigerian maritime industry, Dr. Peterside stated that the Agency is committed to the full implementation of the Act for the benefit of the Nigerian economy.

In his words “In this era of government emphasizing the diversification of the economy, one area the government is focusing on is the maritime sector because it has the potential to contribute to the growth of the nation by creation of jobs, wealth for our teeming youths and put us permanently on the path of sustainable development”.

“And if the government is looking up to the maritime sector, NIMASA must take its rightful place in the new order and to do this, the centres of the Agency’s operations must be alive to their responsibilities” the DG emphasized.

In a related development, Dr. Dakuku Peterside has reiterated that NIMASA will continue to partner with the Nigerian Navy for the security of Nigerian water ways and the optimum exploration of the country’s marine resources.

Speaking while hosting Naval Cadets of the 66 Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) when they visited the Agency on a study visit.

He assured the Cadets that the symbiotic relationship that exists between NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy is inseparable because of the functions of both Agencies saying their visit to NIMASA is auspicious as they will always have reason to interact with the Maritime Administration upon commissioning.

Addressing the Cadets, Dakuku said, “You have chosen a very noble course as brave men and women, only the brave will chose to enlist in our military. As courageous men and women, you have offered to make all forms of sacrifices first for the good of our country and for all of us your country men and women so that we can move about freely; most importantly so that the territorial integrity of our nation will be protected”

The Cadets, led by Commander Alfred Oride, were in NIMASA to familiarize themselves with the Agency’s activities as they relate to the Nigerian Navy as part of requirements of their training programme.