The aged-long overlapping of functions in the maritime sector will soon be a thing of the past, as the parastatals under the Federal Ministry of Transportation have agreed on the modalities for resolving the issues.
The Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, disclosed this in Lagos, after a meeting with heads of the parastatals at the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) headquarters.
Jamoh said the agreement followed the work of a ministerial committee, stressing that meetings like this are necessary to build synergies, and create the right atmosphere for the overall progress of the economy
He stated: “We have held the inaugural meeting for improved synergy and we hope to hold it on a monthly basis for the next four months. Due to the proximity of our corporate headquarters to each, a lot of gains will be achieved in a short while without the usual official bureaucracy.”
Jamoh added: “From our discussion and deliberations, we have decided on so many issues that concern national development, overlapping functions, and others.
“We have a committee inaugurated by the Ministry of Transportation, and we have been working for close to a year now. We have now decided on who should take what responsibility, and we are going ahead with that,” he said.
The Director-General said there was no better time to improve synergy among the agencies than now, “When the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying disruptions to business and economy have placed a great deal of responsibility on the maritime sector as a vital support to the economy and key medium for the movement of essential supplies.”
Those who attended the meeting were the Executive Secretary of NSC, Hassan Bello; Jamoh; and Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman; Managing Director, National Inland Waterways Authority, Dr. George Moghalu; while the Rector, Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, Commodore Duja Effedua (Rtd), joined via Zoom.
