Ahead Of Council Elections: IMO Audit Panel Due In Nigeria

Even as Nigeria eyes a second   term slot on the elite Council   seat of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), a team of compliance audit experts are due to arrive in the country.
Sources close to the ministry of transportation told Shipping Position Weekly that the visit to Nigeria is actually at the behest of Nigeria and that it is in line with IMO rules which allow member state to voluntarily submit themselves for audit.
Our sources confirmed that the team of facilities expert will be interested in assessing Nigeria’s compliance levels with laws that have been already domesticated.
“Naturally, after domestication, three must be implementation and enforcement and the IMO will want to know how far Nigeria has gone in the enforcement of those laws, how many people have been prosecuted and how many have been convicted”, our source disclosed even as he stressed that it is a voluntary exercise.
“For instance, the IMO will like to know how far the MARPOL convention is being implemented by the duo of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Ports Authourity (NPA)”, the source added.
Similarly, our sources at the ministry of transport confirmed that Nigeria through NIMASA actually requested for the IMO voluntary audit; believing that it would also help the second term Category ‘C’ bid. 
The ministry source also hinted that the IMO team will be visiting the Maritime Academy of Nigeria to asses the schools training curriculum and facilities and to determine the acceptability of its certificates.
Our sources also explained that the visit apart from boosting Nigerian campaign may also mean good times for the maritime academy as more funds are likely to be pumped there in the next few weeks to further upgrade its facilities.