Capt Deji Abegunde (Nigerian Shipowner)
Nigerians were trying to come up by doing bunker supply, no one is doing it any longer, Nigerian vessels operating today cannot be more than five, piracy is still there, it has been there before Dakuku came to into office and the piracy is still there, fishing trawlers are no longer operating, what has he done apart from talking to you the journalists? Another four years of Dakuku Peterside would kill the maritime industry completely, the bunkering activities in Nigeria is completely paralyzed now under Dakuku, there is no new entrants, Nigerians there are now completely out. Apart from the theoretical aspect of the job, practically he has not performed, as we are today, there is still no space for cadets to acquire their sea time, so what has he done.
Engr Charles Otuonye (Former NIMENA President)
I don’t think there is much difference in NIMASA’s operations up till now, when you take for example the seafarers, what is NIMASA doing in respect to this autonomous ships that are coming up now, these are ships that are not manned by any crew, they are operated electronically, we train seafarers yearly, but there are no facilities in Nigeria to accommodate them, there is no ship acquisition such that after training the cadets, they would get jobs, this is why you see many of them floating and looking for other countries where they can get employment, some even turned into sea pirates. There should be deliberate set goals so that as developments are coming, NIMASA would be adjusting their goals to meet the present dictates. Under Dakuku, I don’t think much has been achieved, I started asking myself question; are we in consonant with what is happening in maritime sector worldwide? What are the sustainable footprints the NIMASA DG is leaving behind?
Engr Matthew Idowu (Crew Manager, Orion Marine)
Dakuku Peterside has shown strong determination to reposition NIMASA through instilling discipline into the workforce and ensuring adequate training of staff at all levels. He has also shown goodwill and willingness to set Nigerian maritime administration on track.
However, there is much more to be done beyond the internal strengthening of NIMASA, to overall development of the industry. He has scored above average so far in the present circumstances.
Otunba Kunle Folarin (Chairman, Ports Consultative Council)
Maritime Administration and Safety is in the commanding height of the maritime mandate and therefore the critical factors that impact on the political economy of a country. Those who drive the agency that has the mandate have a big responsibility. Dr Dakuku Peterside was appointed as DG of NIMASA at the time when expectations for implementation of the various issues were pending, vis-à-vis Cabotage, Maritime University, National fleet, Maritime Safety, Seafarers Development, Maritime Labour, International Maritime Labour Conventions, Shipping Development, Restructuring of Agency Administration and lately Piracy and Attacks in the Gulf of Guinea. All these are very wide and intensive activities to be performed by one agency and management. Three years are not enough to accomplish all of these fully, but in the journey so far, Dakuku Peterside has touched a lot of the issues creditably. It is still work in progress.
Obiora Madu (CEO, Multimix Academy)
I think Dakuku Peterside has done well, the guy is a smart person, he didn’t come from the maritime industry, but all it takes is for the smart guy to hit the ground running. I think there have been a couple of changes and improvements in the area. Again the agency is a very volatile organization with a banana peel, and to still be at the helm of affairs for the past three years is an achievement on its own. I think generally I score him high because he has done well.
Engineer Matthew Alalade (President Merchant Navy)
He has performed above average, but most of the teaming youths have not gotten their sea time and it still goes back to the government policy. The academies have to be properly upgraded while the nation needs to have its own training vessel, if we don’t have our own vessel to train and have our own national fleet, I don’t know how the maritime industry can move forward.
Barrister Obiageli Obi (DG, Chamber of Shipping)
He is doing very well, his projects are good and I can see the drive in NIMASA to change, I can see that in the ship registry, Cabotage, SERVICOM, I can also see their five year plan for Cabotage. I can see what he is doing in blue economy; I can also see what they are doing in the area of charter. I can see the new appointment that he made, they are people who are focused and diligent, I can see the new drive in NIMASA. He has put in place the fundamental structure, I can also see that being with Dakuku, you have to be focused and determined to make the country a maritime hub and he is working on that.
Captain Tajudeen Alao (President, Master Mariners)
NIMASA under Dakuku has managed to put some cadets on training, but how well have they involved the stakeholders; may be individually, sectionally, not collectively. They have launched HLS surveillance of our coast but I believe that the issue of piracy, how comfortable ship owners are should be answered by them. If you talk about Cabotage implementation, you know that there are challenges, so it has not been easy for total implementation.
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