Amid the controversies trailing the removal of Patrick Akpobolokemi, the former director-general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) by President Muhammadu Buhari, industry close watchers believed that the recently terminated administration of Akpobolokemi, recorded some milestones, which stakeholders will not forget in a hurry.
BusinessDay research reveals that the Akpobolokemi-led NIMASA succeeded in setting up good track for the development of the nation’s maritime sector especially in the area of the agency’s mandates, which include:
Manpower development
Before now, the nation’s maritime sector was limited by shortage of manpower supply especially seafarers to take over sea jobs from the ageing master mariners. This is why the NIMASA led-Akpobolokemi went ahead under the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) to finance the training of about 2,500 cadets in various maritime universities located in Egypt, United Kingdom, India, Philippine, Romania among others.
These seamen, who were trained as Marine Engineers, Naval Architects, Nautical Scientists, were also given the opportunity to undergo their sea-time programme and to obtain the prestigious Certificate of Competency (CoC) as stipulated by the global maritime regulatory agency, International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
Apart from that, the ex-NIMASA boss championed the establishment of the first maritime university in Nigeria, which is located in Okerenkoko, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State. The university is expected to run courses in Marine Engineering, Naval Architecture, Nautical Science, Transport Technology and other maritime related professional courses at degree and sub degree levels.
The administration also established Institutes of Maritime Studies in six Nigerian universities, including University of Lagos; University of Nigeria Nsukka; Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai Niger State; Niger Delta University Amasoma, Bayelsa State; Anambra State University Uli and Federal University Kashere, Gombe State.
Maritime security
Nigeria as a maritime nation, became signatory to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) SOLAS including the International Ships and Ports Facility Security (ISPS) Code, but some port and jetties failed to measure up to the security requirement of the Code, which was developed after the September 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre. As a result, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) gave Nigeria an ultimatum to comply with the security standards or risk ban on Nigerian originated ships.
However, upon the appointment of NIMASA by the Federal Government, as the designated authority (DA) in charge of the implementation of ISPS Code in 2013, the rating of Nigerian ports were improved as some of the non-complying ports and facilities were mandated by NIMASA to comply.
“The agency established a unit to drive the implementation, adopted the regulation, develop guidelines to enhance assessment, inspection, enforcement and monitoring of port facilities in the country and within two years, the compliance level rose from a paltry 7 percent to over 83 percent,” Akpobolokemi stated in January 2015.
Fight against piracy and domain awareness
The Akpobolokemi-led administration recorded another milestone in the area of maritime domain awareness using both technology and personnel to attain to the present level of domain awareness.
Precisely, NIMASA in June 2014 launched a Satellite Surveillance Centre used in providing intelligence in the fight against piracy and other illicit crimes on the waterways. The facility was instrumental to the Agency’s winning the war against piracy because the satellite has the capacity to monitor activities in the entire maritime domain.
Also, the agency went into partnership with the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Air Force by signing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide enhanced water patrol and aerial surveillance of Nigeria’s maritime domain.
Findings have shown that the upgrading of the agency’s Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS) in Lagos, Bonny and Oron, and the installation of Radar in Escravos, Bonny and Takwa Bay in Lagos, also complemented the satellite facility and added boost NIMASA’s domain awareness response capability.
NIMASA entered into partnership with a Nigerian maritime company called Global West Vessels Specialist Limited (GWSVSL) to provide platforms for the patrol of the coastline. With the involvement of Global West, the Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement made it possible for the Agency to provide suitable platforms to the relevant security agencies collaborating with it to fight piracy.
These facilities, closed watchers say, helped in restoring relative peace in Nigerian territorial waters especially in minimising piracy, sea robbery, crude oil theft and other illegalities on waters.
Cabotage and CVFF
Despite these achievements, it was also discovered that the Akpobolokemi led administration was not able to deliver on its promise to build capacity among indigenous ship owners such that their notable plights are still obvious.
Observers believed that the Coastal and Inland Shipping Act (Cabotage) developed to reserve the nation’s seaborne trade to local players, is yet to enable ship owners to take over jobs from foreign dominated shipping sector. Also, the promise by the Akpobolokemi administration to give Nigerian maritime industry a national carrier was not able to metamorphose into reality before his removal.
In the area of the money accrued in the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF), which is the 2 percent contribution made by ship owners participating in Nigeria’s seaborne trade, the administration, was also not able to utilise the opportunity created by this fund to build capacity among local ship owners. Here, failure to keep to various promises made in the area of the disbursement of the fund was trailed by criticism from several industry operators.
However, observers believed that disbursement of CVFF, effective implementation of Cabotage Act and building of national carrier are the important areas where the incoming director general of NIMASA would be largely expected to deliver on for the development of the shipping sector including creating jobs for Nigerian youths.
UZOAMAKA ANAGOR-Ewuzie
