Sir Osita Patrick (Freight Forwarder)
Sir Osita Patrick (Freight Forwarder)
My advice is that the navy should meet up with the challenges and at the same time NIMASA should also brace up. As for the navy that is guarding the nation’s territorial waters, if they are no longer interested in doing the job of navy, they should tell the federal government so that a coastal guard would be set up to assist in that regard, just like the civil defence corps which is helping the police, the army which can easily help in rebranding the sector in the security of our territorial waters, we can still develop and have what we call coastal guard whereby illegal oil bunkering and dispossession of vessels will be taken care of.
Otunba Hugh Friday Nwaneri (CEO, Elkins Marine Training)
NIMASA should be given the mandate to do the job of safety and security of the territorial waters because anything that has to do with the safety and security of our water ways is already indicated in their Act. It is already stated in the IMO that the safety of the territorial waters should be done by NIMASA because no other organisation can do that, moreover private individuals or organisations should not be given the responsibility of protecting the water ways because there is no other organization’s responsibilities except NIMASA.
Comrade Peter Ojalatan (Stakeholder)
As far as the territorial waters is concerned, my advice to the government is to equip the navy and NIMASA the more, but creating a coastal guard under private hands can bring in compromise, they should try and get more equipment for the navy and NIMASA to handle the security of the Nigerian territorial waters, because if it is given to the private hands, they can compromise and the security of the nation is more important, so I will not advise the government to give the security of the waters to the hands of private hands, they will be unable to handle the situation and if they are saying they want to create a coastal guard, what is the work of the navy and NIMASA.
Comrade Omotayo Owolabi (Seafarer)
My position on the safety and security of our territorial waters is that, the government should be fully involved in the control of our territorial waters, I will not be in support of concessioning the security of our territorial waters to an individual or a group of individuals, a coast guard can be fashioned out from the navy to secure the territorial waters, these are constitutional institutions established by law. This private body can compromise the safety and integrity of our territorial waters, so as for my experience on the water for a long time now, I will say it is good we have a coast guard under the navy, well equipped, funded by the government, to monitor and protect our marine, economic assets and investments. I will advise NIMASA and the navy to work together so as to achieve a common goal and establish a coastal guard under the Nigerian navy, trained by the navy, funded by the government and monitored by NIMASA.
Capt. Adewale Ishola (Master Mariner)
From my professional training, the issue of maritime security and safety has always been and will always be a NIMASA affair because if you look at NIMASA Act, it is part of their duties. All codes as long as they are domesticated in Nigeria are supposed to be implemented by NIMASA; they are supposed to have the professionals to handle these issues, as part of the flag and port state responsibilities.
Therefore with my profession training and the nature of my work, whereby I have been involved in monitoring ship to ship transfer of petroleum products whereby I have been working with shipping companies.
Valentino Buoro (Stakeholder)
The Nigerian Navy or NIMASA should be equipped with sophisticated weapons so that they can face the pirates in the moment of strong fight and of course you also talk about the vessels that they use, since we are talking about operations on water, then you will have to talk about speed boats, are they of current technologies or are we still going to work on the rickety bottoms we have as the Nigerian vessels, all of that is important, then you will have to talk about coordination, the issue we have in Nigeria is that we don’t work in collaboration, the various agencies that are supposed to man such environment may begin to work individually rather than collaborate, the commandants will want to take the glory for themselves but rather to combine their agencies to be able to meet with their challenges then the safety of how the vessels gets into the port. Therefore NIMASA and the navy should collaborate in the areas that there are overlaps.
Kachi Nwaneri (Student, Elkins Marine Institute)
When you allow NIMASA to work alone, corruption might take place, on the other hand something fishy may take place, however my take here is that the navy and NIMASA should work hand in hand on the security and safety of our Nigerian waters.
Eugene Nweke (President, NAGAFF)
We should at any point in time take issues concerning our waters serious, because each time we talk about it seem that we are not serious about it and with the poor security of our water ways which is an indicator that we are not getting it right. So some times we have to look inward in ensuring the safety and security of our water ways. If you ask me, NIMASA under Akpolobokemi is actually driving towards making a difference in ensuring that our waterways become secured, unlike what it used to be in the past. However that does not remove the act of political interest which would have been the bane to a successful protection of our water ways, but by and large Akpolobokemi has the mindset of our president and I think we have to encourage him more to look beyond the politics in order for him to perform better.
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