Capt Deji Abegunde (Ship Owner)
Purely government administrative failure, Navy and NIMASA both failed woefully in their statutory roles under Jonathan administration. But the blame should go to Jonathan’s administration than the parastatals. Imagine my vessel was collided with by a Greek ship call Niki ‘C’ from behind just off Lagos fairway at about 2048 hours on December 21, 2013. SOS message was received by NIMASA same minute, but no action until 1600 hours of the second day, December 22, 2013 just to collect the seven survivors and the two trapped on my vessel out of the nine crew were left and ignored by NIMASA till date. I absolutely agree with the Minister of Transport; Rotini Amaechi that NIMASA should be scrapped. Its very disgusting that navy conceded its primary statutory roles to Tompolo. I can’t blame Tompolo because he legitimately won the contract.
Capt Adewale Ishola (Master Mariner)
I know the partnership between NIMASA and Navy is still existing because the two agencies have not come out to say that they have stopped working together, I don’t know what might have led to the increase in attacks on vessels, but I think the partnership between NIMASA and Navy is subsisting, whether it is working or not will have to do with the instability in the management of NIMASA, this might be what is affecting the operational aspect of the job. If the Maritime Guard Command is there, then there should not be any problems, I am not working with them and I wouldn’t know where they are having their difficulties.
Mr. Ayo Adedoyin (Ship Owner)
You will need to look at it from two different angles, what is NIMASA set up to do and what the Navy is set up to do, but the fundamental challenge we have over time is that -you cannot set up a Navy and you don’t give them the equipment to work with, they could have the best training in the world, but if they don’t have the equipment or the platform to work, from then there would be an issue. Same thing as NIMASA, if NIMASA is set up to do something and they don’t have the proper equipment to work with, this is also a problem, but when you now look at the so-called arrangement, it has been an issue, I don’t have details of the agreement, but if you ask me if the agreement is working, definitely it is not working. What they need in that arrangement is for a company to lease out equipment to the Navy, when you look at the collaboration between NIMASA and Navy, it is for our coastal waters and not for the deep waters.
Owolabi Omotayo (Water transporter)
I believe what is more important for government to do is to boost the patrol for the navy and get them more involved in this fight, let naval boats be stationed at specific locations permanently on the high sea, they should have their gun boats and war boats, especially where the ships are anchored. The war is not being won yet, NIMASA still has a lot of work to do and collaborate better with the Nigerian Navy, the navy should raise a special squad for this war against sea pirates, this should be out of the regular Nigerian Navy, and they should work with NIMASA. You cannot do without the navy, they have to be involved.
Engineer Reginard Onyenobi (Seafarer)
Over the years, I will say both agencies have not been working together harmoniously because it used to be NIMASA and Global West Vessel Specialists. In recent time, the navy just came in to compliment the efforts of NIMASA. But the truth is that we don’t have any alternative than to use the navy on our territorial waters against pirate attacks at sea, knowing fully well that it is their jurisdiction, but there is need for the navy to look beyond the synergy with NIMASA. I think other paramilitary outfit should come on board and compliment the effort of those agencies in fighting sea robbers, pirate and other miscreants at sea. The navy and NIMASA cannot do it all alone, considering the fact that pirates are on the increase and the coast is too wide for just two agencies to police.
Comrade Julius Eforkpo (Merchant Navy)
There are so many illegal activities which occur on our territorial waters on a daily basis, but we believe with the new dispensation of President Muhammadu Buhari change mantra, such attacks will be reduced. Presently the naval ships are talking tough and I have hope that the new synergy NIMASA has with the navy will produce a better result because the country is now in a serious state that it used to be in the past.
Anonymous
With the alarming rate of attacks on ships and seafarers at sea in Nigeria, it is a clear indication that the NIMASA and Navy collaboration is not effective at this point in time. The attacks we don’t get to know or hear supersede the ones we are aware of. It’s a pity that life at sea is highly risky for the sailors; therefore there is more job that need to be done by the government and the agencies involved in protecting lives and property. However attacks on smaller crafts are hardly recorded by the media and NIMASA. It is the bigger ships that get all the attention when attempt to attack takes place. We need a more robust inter-agencies collaboration at sea to nip sea robbers and pirate attack on our territorial waters in the bud, because the spate of attacks on ships mostly smaller craft is on the rise.
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