Dakuku assures of safety in nation’s maritime domain

Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside, has assured operators in the sector that the apex maritime regulatory agency would do all within its power to ensure that the nation’s maritime domain is secured for business.

Director General of NIMASA, Dakuku Peterside

Dakuku who gave the assurance when he played host to Shipping Association of Nigeria (SAN), said that they hope to achieve this through the integrated maritime security infrastructure and waterways surveillance system.

He noted that no stone will be left unturned to achieve the Agency’s objectives of zero tolerance to all forms of criminalities on the nation’s waterways.

He said, “Let me assure you that very soon, the issue of maritime security will be history, because by then we would have fully implemented the new maritime security architecture which will include deployment of more equipment, more personnel and of course upping the game in the area of intelligence.”

He noted that the agency will continue to work closely with all relevant Stakeholders so that the benefits in the sector can be fully optimized.

According to Dakuku, “We are not on different sides; we may be working from different perspectives, but we are working towards the same goal in ensuring that people optimize benefits from maritime transportation. We are ensuring that there are no inefficiencies and that our effectiveness is on top of the game, so that Nigeria will be a preferred destination for commerce and for doing transaction.”

He also described SAN as key players in the maritime transportation sector assured them that the Agency will continue to engage and partner with the association so that Nigerians can reap the benefits of the maritime sector.

The Chairman of SAN, Val Usifoh, commended the leadership of NIMASA, noting that they are impressed with the level of cooperation between the shippers and NIMASA and called for a more robust relationship towards actualizing the opportunities that abound in the sector.

The Chairman who was represented by Mr. John Odunewu also assured that the association on its part will continue to support the good initiatives of the agency regards improving the maritime sector in line with international best practices. 

Accordingly, he said “On behalf of members of the Shipping Association of Nigeria, we would like to thank the Management of NIMASA for giving us the opportunity to discuss issues and rub minds. We are glad that we have this level of cooperation going and we look forward to improving further on it.”