The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Dakuku Peterside has stated that journalism is strategic to the growth and development of any nation.

The DG stated this when he played host to members of the Lagos Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) led by the Chairman, Mr. Deji Elumoye at the Head Quarters of the Agency in Lagos.

Highlighting the importance of information to the development of nations, Dr. Peterside averred that nations are built and destroyed by the way information is gathered, managed and disseminated.

Dr. Peterside therefore charged the Union to ensure balanced reportage of national affairs, noting that their role in the society is strategic and cannot be ignored.

While assuring the body of NIMASA’s commitment to the repositioning of the maritime industry, the NIMASA DG said that “I want to assure you that NIMASA will collaborate with partners to move the maritime industry forward in Nigeria, we understand that the maritime industry has the capacity to play a critical role in repositioning the economy of our country especially in this time of recession”.

Dr. Peterside therefore enjoined them to continue to highlight the efforts of NIMASA in engendering the development of Nigeria’s maritime industry saying “as journalists, you will help enlighten our country men and women on the important role the maritime industry is playing and the potentials in the industry to contribute to the economic growth of our nation”.

The Lagos NUJ Council assured the NIMASA boss that the media will not abdicate its critical role in national development

In another development, Dr. Dakuku Peterside identified the support of the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and cooperation of Nigeria stakeholders as reasons behind successes recorded in the implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code in Nigeria.

Receiving a delegation of the USCG led by Mr. Edward Munoz who are in Nigeria on a pre-assessment visit of Nigerian port and terminal facilities, Dakuku noted that NIMASA as the Designated Authority for the implementation of the code in Nigeria is committed to safe and secure shipping.

In his words “Ultimately all of us are working for a common purpose, a safer world through safety and security of the maritime sub sector. If we fix our different corners of the earth, the whole world will be safer for everybody. And so no effort should be spared in trying to guarantee safety and security of all our people”.

The DG assured the delegation of NIMASA’s readiness to collaborate with its partners even as he said the full implementation of the ISPS code is capable of drastically reducing security challenges in the maritime industry.

“We are totally committed, we are working very hard with all our partners and one thing we are sure of is that by the time the full assessment team comes in February, they would have noticed remarkable improvement. I am sure that delegation will be more than satisfied that Nigeria is on course and that our dream of being the hub of maritime activities in the whole of West and Central African will be inching closer by the day”, Dr. Peterside said.

Mr. Edward Munoz explained that the USCG team were in Nigeria for a pre-assessment visit to highlight areas requiring improvement and to notify Nigeria of timelines for the scheduled USCG Assessment Audit expected to hold in February 2017.

“The purpose of this visit was really to prepare for the next assessment visit so it goes smoothly. With the details of the schedule and also to provide questions to the Port Facility Security Officers (PFSOs) and to NIMASA so that know what kind of information we will be looking for”.

Leader of the United States Coast Guard Mr. Edward Munoz explained that the USCG team came to Nigeria for a pre-assessment visit to highlight areas requiring improvement and to notify Nigeria of timelines for the scheduled USCG Assessment Audit expected to hold in February 2017.

He explained that “The purpose of this visit was really to prepare for the next assessment visit so it goes smoothly. With the details of the schedule and also to provide questions to the Port Facility Security Officers (PFSOs) and to NIMASA so that know what kind of information we will be looking for”, Mr. Munoz said.

Also, in order to ensure greater Safety of Ships and Crew, NIMASA is set to constitute its partnership with the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NIMET on meteorological data with a view to ensuring safety of lives at sea.

The Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside made this disclosure when the Director General of NIMET, Dr. Anthony Anuforom and his Management team paid a working visit to the Head Quarters of NIMASA in Lagos.

Dr. Peterside further disclosed that the Agency is interested in studying meteorological data for ships by way of giving them information, analyzing data for ships, dissemination of information and in any other way that meteorological data can aid navigation for safety of lives and vessels on sea.

“In pursuit of that mandate, we are ever ready to collaborate with anybody who can be of assistance to us. Without a doubt, by reason of the technical capacity you have in the study of weather analysis of meteorological data, you are definitely useful to us. It is in realization of that piece of fact that a relationship was initiated sometimes in 2008.

“It is in the same realization that we set out to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between our Agencies in pursuit of common objectives of securing lives and assets at sea, in line with the provisions of SOLAS, particularly Chapter 5, which is an instrument of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO)”, the DG said.

While also appreciating the importance of climate observation and meteorological data to safety of lives at sea, the NIMASA boss reiterated the Agency’s commitment in ensuring safety and security of lives and assets on the sea, stating that, “as an Agency concerned with the safety of our people, we cannot ignore that. Because of the evolution around climate change, it makes it imperative and compelling that we consummate this relationship which we initiated earlier. NIMASA is totally committed to the relationship and I can say to you that whatever we need to do to ensure that we sign the dotted lines by way of an MoU, at most by first quarter of next year will be done.

“We are not signing the MoU for signing sake; there is a mutually beneficial relationship for NIMET, for NIMASA and for those who need our services, especially mariners. They need this meteorological data and weather information to assure them that their safety is guaranteed, that they are on course and that they are doing the right thing.”

Director General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) Dr. Anthony Anuforom who acknowledged the role of the maritime industry to economic development expressed willingness to collaborate with NIMASA in its quest to ensure protection of lives and assets at sea.

“We are so active and vibrant in aviation and we believe that we should be even more vibrant considering the contribution of the maritime sector to this economy. With the number of ships that come in, issues of safety and security are paramount,” the NIMET boss stated.