The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Dakuku Peterside has given the assurance that the Agency will provide platforms for the enforcement of its mandate especially the Cabotage Act.
Dr. Peterside said this while addressing staff of the Bayelsa Enforcement Office in Yenagoa while on a working visit of the operational offices of the Agency in the Eastern Zone.
Describing the Cabotage Act as an important pillar for home grown capacity for the sustainable development of the Nigerian maritime industry, Dr. Peterside further stated that the Agency is committed to the full implementation of the Act for the benefit of the Nigerian economy.
According to him, “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, 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 emphasised.
He commended the staff of the Yenagoa office for discharging their duties creditably even with visible challenges including the lack of associated platforms for enforcement and assured them of the commitment of the Management, to provide all the necessary facilities for the successful discharge of their duties.
He also said that the Management of the Agency is addressing all other issues regarding the welfare of staff and insufficient work tools in a holistic manner in order to increase efficiency and productivity.
While calling on staff to redouble their efforts to make NIMASA and indeed the maritime industry take its rightful place in the Nation’s economic diversification process, Dr. Peterside said that the Agency is being restructured in such a manner that more powers will be devolved to the Zonal Offices as the operational centres of the Agency.
The NIMASA Management rounds off its working visit with a tour of the Onne Port and other Operational formations within the Eastern Zone.
