Skip to main content

NIMASA DG Hails Navy As Agency Hosts FOC Western Naval Command

By Anne Ejuka

 … Sets Up Standing Committee For Blue Economy 


 The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA Dr Bashir Jamoh OFR says collaboration with the Nigerian Navy has played a key role in the achievements of his Administration in terms of maritime security in Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea. 


The NIMASA DG stated this  when he received the Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Mustapha Hasssan and a delegation of senior Naval officers in Lagos, Nigeria.


Jamoh noted that the Nigerian model is now being adopted in other countries, adding that the change in narratives about security in Nigerian waters from the era of over 26 Piracy incidents and negative media exposure, to no single piracy incident in Nigerian waters for almost two years now, is a direct product of effective collaboration of the Maritime Administration with the Nigerian Navy,  a relationship he hopes to deepen.



 In his words "Collaboration with the Nigerian Navy is largely responsible for the confidence of stakeholders in the current Management of the agency; I was in Brazil last week, the South Americans and even  our neighbors like Ghana are eager to learn how we arrived at this MARAD-NAVY collaboration yielding successes. Just imagine that the negative media exposure in  2019-2020 about prevalent piracy and criminal activities in Nigerian waters had continued, you can only imagine where Nigeria would have been by now. I am glad we sought and got collaboration with the Navy”.



The NIMASA Helmsman noted that the NIMASA is eager to ensure policy that will make Nigerians enjoy benefits accruable from the Blue Economy. “The time has come for us to implement our Crude to Blue campaign since 2021. Maritime stakeholders in Nigeria should be ready  to repay President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR for creating the Marine and Blue Economy Ministry. If we must make headway in Tourism and fishing, security is priority. We will make a case for the designation of Marine Protected Areas particularly for fishing and the Nigerian Navy definitely will play a major role”. The DG stated.


The constitution of an eight-man committee, comprising four each from the Navy and NIMASA was also announced to serve as catalyst for Shift from Crude to Blue, now that Nigeria has a Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.

The FOC West, Rear Admiral Mustapha Hassan, noted the need to sustain information sharing between NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy. He commended NIMASA Management for the non-kinetic support to the Western Naval Command. 

He also requested NIMASA to support 'Operation Water Guard' to combat smuggling around the Badagry channel.

The FOC West, who had the Commander Deep Blue Commodore  OA Akinbami on his entourage, noted that the Deep Blue assets are fully functional and requested for further deepening of information sharing between the Western Naval Command and the NIMASA C4i center.

He also urged NIMASA to bring to the notice of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, the need for Nigeria to take possession of a border island in Badagry, the  oil rich Tongeji Island between Nigeria and Benin Republic for maritime tourism in particular. Dr Jamoh described the oil rich island as a low hanging fruit for the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, with an assurance that the Agency will relate with the supervising Ministry for further actions, particularly as regards maritime tourism.

The closest village to the Tongeji Island in Nigeria is Badagry and it is about 55 minutes by water, while just 5 minutes from Porto Novo. The residents speak French and English and they do their daily shopping from Porto Novo. 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

KNIGHTS OF ST. JOHN (KSJI) TAKES A SWIPE AT BAD LEADERSHIPS IN NIGERIA

By Anne Ejuka
  Maj. Gen. (Prof) Remy Uche,  KSJI Supreme Subordinate President, Nigeria. As Christians all over the world marked  the feast of the Passion of St. John the Baptist on August 29 commemoration of his beheading by King Herod for speaking up to the truth, the Knights of St. John International (KSJI) of the Roman Catholic Church has taken a swipe against which it described as obnoxious and draconian leaderships in many spheres of life in Nigeria. The Knights of St. John International (KSJI), a sodality organisation of men and women looked up to in the Roman Catholic Church as people of integrity, is not happy with the current situation in the country where leaders in some places are not serving expectedly. According to a press statement made by the KSJI leader in Nigeria (Supreme Subordinate President), Maj Gen. Remy Uche (Prof), and signed on his behalf, by his Chief of Staff, Sir Abuchi Anueyiagu, to mark the feast of the Passion of St. John the Baptist, the patron saint...
Post a Comment
Read more

Eze Uchendu Applauds Compt. Olomu's Outstanding Performance In Apapa

By Anne Ejuka
  ...Berates APMT For Lack  of Capacity & Technicality ...Calls FG to Set Up Committee To Access APMT Operations In Nigeria The remarkable performance of the Customs Area Controller of the Apapa Customs command, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu fsi has been commended by a renowned freight forwarder, the Chairman of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarder( NAGAFF), Apapa Chapter, Fowdr. Prince Eze Uchendu. Accessing the Apapa Command under the control of Compt. Olomu,  the  chairman applauded the resilience and doggedness of the area controller in all areas of operation, in his words, "I think for now we have a good controller, the person of controller, Babatunde Olomu, since his inception as the CAC Apapa, I can say Apapa Command has never had it so good, so I can score the Nigeria customs high In all fields of endeavour, the controller has been a moving controller,  he's not a controller that stays in office. He comes to the terminals ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Kabiesi Akintola Becomes A First Class King And Permanent Member of Osun State Council of Kings

By Anne Ejuka
A Retired Senior Customs  Officer, Deputy Comptroller Akintola Imran Ayodeji (Rtd)  has become a First Class King and permanent member of the esteemed Osun State Council of Kings. He  signed  his letter of appointment on the 19th day of August 2024, at a momentous occasion which  marked a significant milestone in his journey as a traditional leader and a proud son of Osun State. His Royal Majesty Oba Akintola Imran Ayodeji, The Alua Of Erin Oke Kingdom Ijesa, after signing his  letter of appointment saod felt a deep sense of responsibility and commitment to serve his people and uphold the rich cultural heritage of the great state of the Living Spring. This appointment is not just a recognition of his own achievements, but also a testament to the trust and confidence placed on him by the people and the Council of Kings. As a First Class King,the Kabiesi has pledged to work tirelessly to promote the welfare and development of his ...
Post a Comment
Read more