The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, OFR has again emphasized that the Nigerian maritime industry has enormous opportunities to transform the economy of the country and provide jobs for citizens.

Dr. Jamoh also  stated that inter-agency collaboration is critical to sustaining the efforts to curb criminal activities in the Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea (GoG).

L-R: Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Engr. Victor Ochei, Director General, NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, OFR and Interim Administrator, Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) Major General (rtd) Barry Ndiomu during the visit.

Speaking when he received the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP); Major General (rtd) Barry Ndiomu at the headquarters of the Agency in Lagos,  he thanked the amnesty boss for the visit and added that it was timely and a wake-up call to synergy, in order to sustain the tempo of policing the Nigerian waters, while also actively engaging and empowering the youths on opportunities in the Nigerian maritime sector.

In Jamoh’s words “Nigeria has received several commendations from the international community for the visible successes achieved in addressing insecurity in our maritime domain. As such, they are watching to see if we can sustain the tempo, hence the Agency’s willingness to partner with the Presidential Amnesty Programme and other relevant bodies”.

The NIMASA boss  informed the Amnesty Interim Administrator on the viability of creating jobs through the Blue Economy adding that the maritime sector has the wherewithal to engage the youths, as this will dissuade them from the nefarious activities of perpetuating crimes on the nation’s waterways.

“The Nigerian maritime industry is large enough to sustainably and actively engage the teeming youths, as there are enormous opportunities in the industry that the youths can take advantage of to generate foreign earnings”, the DG said.

Major General Barry Ndiomu (rtd) called on NIMASA to fashion out workable and sustained partnerships towards creating opportunities for teeming youths in the Niger Delta region.

General Ndiomu also disclosed that the PAP has trained a large number of youths across institutions in the world in various specializations, some of which include Deep Sea Diving, Underwater Welding, and Marine Engineering, hence the reason for seeking partnership with the Agency to engage them actively on maritime related opportunities.

“My vision is to chart a new path for the Amnesty Programme by upholding the principal objectives of government, by bringing innovative ideas, setting a new Management structure of wealth creation for the teeming youths, instead of depending on monthly stipends, to pave way for a more prosperous future. We are looking at technical support from NIMASA, and job placement opportunities in NIMASA for our qualified delegates, Gen Ndiomu said.

The Amnesty boss also used the opportunity to commend the DG and his team for redefining the safety and security of Nigeria’s Maritime Industry. “I am aware of your outstanding achievements, particularly in the obvious reduction of piracy on the Gulf of Guinea,” Ndiomu said.

The Blue Economy and fight against piracy campaign has been in the forefront of the campaign under the Jamoh-led administration in NIMASA which is aimed at educating the public on the ideals of the Blue Economy, while guiding the Federal Government to make policies to achieve and preserve successes thus far recorded.

The Blue Economy is intended to preserve the resources in the oceans towards ensuring sustainability, wealth creation and by extension job creation, which will help curb insecurity in the country, while also reducing dependence on crude oil.