Engr. Emmanuel Ilori (Publicity Secretary, NISA)
Engr. Emmanuel Ilori (Publicity Secretary, NISA)
The issue of MASECA Bill should not come into play, the important thing is that the security and safety of the Nigerian domain is the statutory function of the Nigerian Navy, they have the capacity to secure our maritime domain. NIMASA on the other hand is concerned with safety of the vessels?, this safety concerns the international conventions we have subscribed to, that is SOLAS. NIMASA has the obligation to ensure that vessels coming into our waters do not constitute safety threats to shipping activities, so I don't think Nigeria should be an exemption, the navy should rather be supported to carry out their security functions and we should not be talking of MASECA. By the way, which agency will enforce MASECA? PICOMSS was a body that was formerly saddled with implementation of the ISPS Code, this is already the function of the maritime administration agency, so we don't really need MASECA.
Lucky Amiwero (President, NCMDLCA)
The Bill is not bad, but it has to be restructured because it has too much political tone, there is a lot of duplication in that Bill, there is need for it to be restructured in order to give it a security face so that we can remove some NIMASA operations from the law, you cannot duplicate the law, if you look at MASECA Bill, there are overlapping functions, the area that has to do with security should be removed from NIMASA, the government can still bring in the Coast Guard as we have it in the US, security experts need to come and restructure the MASECA Bill. NIMASA currently cannot perform its maritime and security functions effectively, our waterways are prone to a lot of problems and the whole thing needs to be looked into critically, but if Navy can perform the function, then there is no need of you getting a new Bill.
Capt. Thomas Kemewereigha (Former President, Merchant Navy Association)
The MASECA Bill has a source of the Merchant Navy Corps that is criminal, ?therefore, anything shot of establishment of a Coast Guard should not be entertained, my stand is very clear, anything short of Coast Guard as it is applicable to other maritime states like America, Australia, India and so on, with the primary aim of combating crime at sea such as piracy, sea robbery, illegal vessels coming to steal our crude and so on, anything short of that is fraud and an avenue for few individuals to enrich themselves. The Merchant Navy Corps in the past have tried to use well placed Nigerians to float the Maritime Security Agency Bill for their selfish interest, the Merchant Navy Corps that is illegal and that has been disturbing this country have the back up of very influential Nigerians, and they are the people calling for the resuscitation of the MASECA Bill, we have the history, we have the names and we have facts, anything short of Coast guide Guard should not be entertained.
Galtima Liman (Maritime Consultant)
It is not about proliferation of agencies or Bills being passed by the National Assembly; formerly we had the National Maritime Authority (NMA) but now it is NIMASA, when all the changes were taking place, we were laughing?, but what is most important is the commitment of the nation to understand shipping and to move forward with it, by the time they move with it, it will empower what is already on ground which is the NIMASA, this is the only focal point recognised by the International Maritime Organisation. With NIMASA, we are talking about controlling of ships, ideally if we are talking about commitment of oil carriage, VLCCs (Very Large Crude Oil Carriers) or 100,000 Dead Weight Toners, you need a minimum of three on a trade, each of the small ones is about $US90million, so as it is, you can see there is no shipping yet in Nigeria.
Engineer Reginald Onyeobi (Seafarer)
I support the call to resuscitate the MASECA bill because it has tremendous benefit to the maritime sector in the area of security and job opportunities. Passage of the bill will provide security for maritime operations within the Gulf of Guinea. It actualize Nigerian security network, it will provide security for maritime assets against sea bandits. What we should do as stakeholders is to support any house those that would want to sponsor the bill for it to see the light of the day.
Barrister Osuala Nwagbara (Maritime Lawyer)
Regarding the MASECA bill, my take is that every maritime nation has its traditional outfit that protects their maritime space. In Nigeria the navy is the one that is responsible to take care of our waters in the area of security and what is expected by the government is to equip, train and to re- train personnel in that regard. It is better to empower the navy, marine police, marine customs and other security agencies that have a role to play in the sector, then bringing on board a new body to carry out the functions of those security outfits mentioned. I believe that the nation's maritime domain will be better police the present security authority than creating a new agency. I don't support the MASECA bill to be revisited by the national assembly.
Engineer Matthew Alalade (President Merchant Navy)
The bill of utmost benefit to the maritime sector considering the enormous opportunity and security benefits that surrounds it when passed into law. The Gulf of Guinea will be better policed by Nigerians , it will serve as an eye opener to neighbouring West African nations within the coast and provide thousands of job opportunities for us, mostly mariners, seafarers and others who have one maritime ancillary services or the other. The MASECA bill should be revisited and passed by the national assembly considering the security challenges faced by us as Nigerians, NIMASA as led agency to police the water with support from the navy cannot do it alone. We as seafarers know how to navigate the creek and in that process act as coast guard as well therefore we need to appeal to the national assembly to help resuscitate and pass that bill.
Mike Emiko(stakeholder)
The only reason why I will support the revamping of that bill is that it will provide better securing of the maritime space because despite the Joint Taskforce , navy, police, customs and other that are securing our territorial waters we still have series of attack on ships in Nigerian waters. The bill when passed will take care of such issues, even the coast will be better police at the end of the day and that is the beauty of the bill when it eventually scale through.
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