NIMASA Will Not Support Acquisition Of A National Carrier -Mobereola
NIMASA Will Not Support Acquisition Of A National Carrier -Mobereola
By Jerry Aguigbo
The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dayo Mobereola has said the agency will not support the acquisition of a National Carrier against Nigeria flagged Vessels. He also reiterated that his administration will work to raise maritime industry’s contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Speaking in an interactive session with Maritime Journalists in Lagos yesterday, Mobereola stated that it is very appropriate for NIMASA to pull-in revenue from other areas to boost the country’s earnings, especially now that the Federal government making efforts to diversify from crude oil to none Crude.
The DG said that the NIMASA Act of 2007 is being reviewed to ensure that all aspects of the Agency’s operation is looked at and regulated.
Mobereola said that NIMASA under his leadership is ready to develop Nigeria’s blue economy while he highlighted several burning issues in Nigeria’s maritime industry, including seafarers capacity development, vessels acquisition, Cabotage Vessels Financing Fund (CVFF), security and safety on the waters.
The DG said improving on maritime contribution to the GDP requires that every aspect of local maritime industry is productive, beginning with a very robust cabotage trading through vessel acquisition by local shipowners and availability of cargo for them to lift.
According to the DG, the country needs to improve on what the maritime industry is contributing to the GDP and the agency intends to achieve this by a set of enforcements including deployment of the modular floating dock, seeking the appropriate and relevant trainings for cadets and boosting cabotage trade.
His words: “We are reviewing the process of how vessels crew are being engaged. We are also working to ensure that the cadets we produce under the National Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) are good products after training. All these issues are on our table. There’s no single day we don’t deliberate on them. We reveiwing Cadet training program to ensure that we don’t end up producing half-baked graduates who will become liabilities, we want to ensure we get it right. ” Giving instances of countries who have made progress in this area, the NIMASA Boss said that Namibia makes 33 per cent of it GDP from Blue economy alone while Vietnam makes about 66 per cent.
On the NIMASA Floating Dock, he clarified that many proposals have been on the table and the agency is putting things into perspective to put it into use as soon as possible, to help develop Cadets and also rake in revenue for the Sector but he insists it must be done properly and whatever plan taken he said, must will be open.
“We are also working on deploying the modular floating dock. We have many proposals on the table but we want to make sure that a good decision is reached on it. We want to put it on use as soon as possible. It will create employment for our trained cadets, earn revenue and improve the sector, but we want to do it right.”
Fielding questions on why the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) has not been disbursed by previous administrations since inception, Mobereola stated that the Agency does not want to make mistakes with this, as was done with the SASBF which he said was given to the wrong people.
“We want to be beneficial to the shipping Sector when it’s finally disbursed, that is why it seems to be stalling but we’re working on so many issues, many things are being put into consideration; we are working on the issue of steady cargoes for the vessels, so they don’t have to go fallow.”
“The fund is safe with the government and we are looking out for the right opportunity to start its disbursement, in a sustainable manner that will ensure that only those actively playing in the industry gets it. There are many considerations in the disbursement of CVFF These factors are not only within Nigeria but international factors and there has to be cargo for the vessels to lift after they have been acquired.”
On the protracted issue of a National Carrier or Nigeria flagged Vessels,
He disclosed that his Agency favourably supports Nigeria Flagged Vessels and this according to him, is being worked on, as against having a National Carrier.
Accordingly to him, Nigeria flagged Vessels will be supported by the Nigerian government and also encouraged to carry Nigerian goods and also get our Seafarers on board.
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