…as IMO lauds Nigeria on maritime security
The Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has constituted a committee to address all areas of concern raised in the 2016 IMO audit report, according to Dayo Mobereola, director general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
IMO had in 2016 conducted a mandatory audit of Nigeria’s maritime industry to ascertain Nigeria’s compliance level with IMO’s maritime security and efficiency protocols on the nation’s waters.
Some of the areas of concern include reviewing NIMASA’s enabling laws and the effective implementation of a corrective action plan.
Read also: NAICOM eyes insurance share in $296bn blue economy
Mobereola disclosed this in London during a meeting with Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) where Dominguez commended Nigeria for leading the charge to maintain safe shipping in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) region.
Mobereola also engaged the technical team at the IMO on how Nigeria can address all identified gaps from the 2016 audit conducted by the organisation.
He assured that NIMASA will pay attention to details on how Nigeria can become a voice to be reckoned with in global maritime diplomacy.
He said Nigeria is committed to sustaining the momentum of recent achievements in safety and security within the maritime domain.
“We will leverage existing relationships both locally and internationally to sustain the momentum in safety and security within the Nigerian maritime domain. The creation of the Marine and Blue Economy Ministry in Nigeria by Mr. President shows the policy direction of this administration.
“Our goal is to ensure that Nigeria plays an active leading role not just in the region or the IMO, but in the global maritime space,” Mobereola said.
According to him, meeting with IMO technical staff was to ensure that NIMASA and the IMO are aligned before the next audit cycle.
“Some critical information regarding our administration and the technical team at the IMO is obsolete, and we are reviewing to update them immediately. We do not see the IMO audit as an examination but rather as a guide to assist Nigeria in achieving its potential; hence, my decision to get personally involved. We need to get the basics right,” he said.
Meanwhile, the IMO chief applauded Nigeria for ensuring that the maritime domain is secured for commercial shipping to thrive, particularly at a time when the crisis in the Red Sea has led to heavier shipping traffic in the region.
Read also: AMES summit to focus on blue economy’s growth areas – Obadan
“We appreciate the effort of Nigeria on the progress made so far as regards security in the Gulf of Guinea region. There were concerns due to the situation in the Red Sea and resultant pressure around the Gulf of Guinea but we are pleased that the situation has remained the same. We at IMO have been working with Nigeria through NIMASA and we desire that the partnership continues,” he said.
Dominguez said that IMO is working on enhancing the Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS) to provide better services to member states in terms of information management.
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
