Skip to main content

NIMASA, NCC COLLABORATES ON SUBMARINE CABLE REGULATION IN NIGERIA …As NIMASA Reinstates Commitment To Ease of Doing Business

By Anne Ejuka


The Management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), have agreed to work closely with relevant stakeholders as NIMASA inches closer to developing a regulatory framework to provide operational guidelines for Submarine Cable and Pipeline Operators in Nigeria.


This agreement was reach by the officials of both organs of Government in Lagos at a pre Audit meeting on submarine cable regulation.


The meeting which was chaired by the Director General of NIMASA Dr Bashir Jamoh, OFR, also had the Director General of Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) Mr Dasuki Arabi and officials of the Federal Ministry of Environment and representatives of Submarine Cable operators in Nigeria were present at the meeting.


According to a release by the Assistant Director, Public Relations of the agency, Osagie Edward, the NIMASA DG noted that the Agency is committed to the Ease of doing Business while implementing International Conventions which Nigeria has ratified and domesticated. He also noted that with Nigeria now a destination for global communication players, the time has come to prevent unregulated underwater cable laying, which might become hazardous to shipping.


According to him, “It is worthy to note that marine cable laying has been ongoing for over two decades in Nigerian waters. Our focus is to ensure safety of navigation of shipping in Nigerian waters with all these underwater cables being laid; NIMASA is actually developing the guidelines to regulate submarine cable operators in line with the provisions of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS; which we have ratified and NIMASA is the Agency of Government in Nigeria responsible for its implementation. We do not just implement laws; we consult. Where the responsibility of an Agency stops, that is where the responsibilities of another Agency starts. Collaboration is a key component of ease of doing business in the best interest of the country and we will work closely with the NCC to achieve this”. Jamoh stated.


On his part, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Professor Umar Garba Danbatta who was represented by the Director, Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement, Efosa Idehen noted that the stakeholders’ dialogue strategy adopted by NIMASA in developing the guidelines would ensure a win-win situation urging NIMASA management to include the Ministry of Justice, which the NIMASA DG immediately granted.


Also speaking at the meeting, the Director General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms Mr Dasuki Arabi, commended NIMASA and NCC for adopting effective Inter-Agency collaboration to avert a potential challenge for the country in the future. NIMASA had notified submarine and cable operators in Nigeria of a soon to be implemented regulatory guideline for submarine cables and pipelines in line with the provisions of UNCLOS. 


NIMASA and the NCC agreed to identify and resolve areas of likely regulatory overlaps while ensuring a regulatory framework based on consultation to engender attainment of Nigeria’s digital economy transformation

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NAGAFF Petitions IGP Over Alleged Extortion, Harassment by Maritime Police at Lagos Ports

By Anne Ejuka
The 100% Compliance Team of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) over alleged unlawful conduct, extortion, intimidation, harassment and obstruction of trade by officers of the Maritime Police Command operating around Nigerian seaports. The petition, dated August 14, 2026 and addressed to the Inspector-General of Police at Force Headquarters, Abuja, specifically identified the Lagos Port Complex, Apapa; Tin-Can Island Port and other designated port locations, including bonded terminals, as areas where the alleged misconduct is taking place. In the petition, which was signed by Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko, the National Coordinator of 100% Compliance Team, NAGAFF described the situation as a growing impediment to trade facilitation and a factor contributing to the rising cost of doing business in Nigeria. According to the association, freight forwarding practitioners have, over a sustained period, repo...
Post a Comment
Read more

NCS Medical Team Trains Apapa Area Command Officers On First Aid

By Anne Ejuka
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) medical team yesterday trained officers and men of the Apapa Area Command on basic first aid training. ‎ ‎The Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba according to a press release issued by the public relations officer of the command, Superintendent of Customs SC JT Ayagbalo described the initiative as a crucial investment in workplace safety and operational readiness. ‎ ‎In his welcome address, Comptroller Oshoba emphasized that the programme reflects the priority placed on staff welfare by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR. ‎ ‎He described first aid knowledge as a universal life skill that every adult should possess, especially officers as they are frequently exposed to high-risk operational environments. ‎ ‎ Oshoba noted that simple but timely interventions such as; CPR, bleeding control, choking relief and stroke recognition often determine whether a victim survives, fully recov...
Post a Comment
Read more

NCS Seizes 13 Containers of Unwholesome Imports

By Anne Ejuka
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Area Command has intercepted 13 containers with over 7.6 tonnes of cannabis sativa, 170,000 bottles of codeine syrup, security-sensitive drones and large quantities of expired consumer and pharmaceutical products. The Comptroller-General of Customs, CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, PhD, MFR, disclosed this during a press briefing held at the Apapa Area Command in the presence of the Customs Area Controller of the command, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba and heads of other sister agencies earlier today, 10th September, 2026,  according to CGC, the seized consignments have a combined duty-paid value of ₦43.59 billion. He said the seizures were made as a result of sustained intelligence-led operations supported by enhanced cargo profiling, risk assessment, documentary scrutiny and targeted physical examination. "The containers behind me are not an isolated event and they should not be reported as one;  the Service’s mandate extends beyond revenue c...
Post a Comment
Read more