A former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA); Dr Ade Dosunmu has cautioned against the rumoured merger of the three federal agencies, including NIMASA, the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Nigeria Customs Service.
The proposal to merge the three leading agencies in revenue collection reportedly came from the Presidential Policy Advisory group constituted by President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement which he personally signed and which was sent to our correspondent on Tuesday, the ex-NIMASA DG said the move “is a very serious misconception and dangerous for the future of shipping/ Maritime industry in Nigeria”.
He recalled that NIMASA was created in 2007 following the merger of National Maritime Authority (NMA) and Joint Maritime Labour Industrial Council (JOMALIC) deriving its powers from Merchant Shipping Act, 2007, NIMASA Act, 2007 and Coastal and Inland shipping (Cabotage) Act, 2003.
According to Dosunmu, the agency, is a Maritime Safety Administration responsible for regulating shipping activities in Nigeria with a view to achieving safer shipping and cleaner oceans as mandated by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) through its various Conventions and Protocols.
He explained that: “The enabling acts give NIMASA statutory powers as specified by International Conventions and protocols for the enthronement of global best practices in ensuring safety of Navigation and prevention / control of marine pollution in the shipping industry as regulated by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), in which Nigeria is a contracting member state. The agency also has responsibility for development of indigenous shipping capacity.
“International Maritime Organisation (IMO), is an organ of the United Nations charged with the responsibility of regulating global shipping trade with special focus on safety of Navigation and prevention of Marine pollution as contained in the United Nations Convention on the Law of The Sea, (UNCLOS). Article 194, 211, 212, of UNCLOS specifically mandates states to adopt Laws and regulations for the prevention, reduction and control of pollution of the marine environment from vessels flying their flags or of their registry.
“The IMO has 167 Maritime Nations as members including Nigeria due to our vast Maritime Coastline. It issues conventions and protocols which all members’ state assent to, regulating global shipping trade. Such Conventions as Marine Pollution Prevention (MARPOL), and its various annexures i.e. Discharging of oily waste, Noxious substances and dangerous goods, Discharging of sewage, Garbage including plastics, Air emission, etc. Other Conventions like London Protocol on Prohibition of Dumping of Waste in the Marine Environment, International Convention on Wreck Removal (Nairobi Convention), Training and Certification of Seafarer (STCW ’95), Safety of Life At Sea (SOLAS), Convention on Ship Recycling to Ensure Environmental Sound Practices (Hong Kong) Convention, to mention just a few. All these convention have been domesticated in Nigeria and NIMASA is the Focal Agency for implementation of the conventions through the discharge of its technical mandate which cannot be performed by any other Agency in Nigeria”.
Explaining further, Dosunmu pointed out that, “NIMASA being the Safety Administration of Nigeria has counterparts in 167 Maritime Nations responsible for ensuring safer shipping and cleaner oceans through the instrumentality of the technical mandate it performs viz Port states inspection, Flag states inspection, Search and Rescue, Maritime Capacity Building, Maritime Security by ensuring our waters are safe from Piracy and Sea robbers, Prevention/Control of Marine Pollution, Administers the Training and Certification of Seafarers(STCW ’95), shipping development, coastal and inland shipping (Cabotage) and maritime labour administration.
“All these functions by NIMASA require technical expertise and can only be performed by a Safety Administration. The same technical functions are performed by Maritime Safety Administration of UK, MCA, US Coast Guard, Safety Administration of Greece, Finland, Cyprus and all other member countries of IMO”.
“It is therefore my humble position that emphasis of Government should be on how to strengthen NIMASA to deliver more on its technical mandates and not merging it with Agencies that are not compatible with its philosophy and objectives”, he concluded.
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