Story by Dili Utomi.
As the hand over date to a new administration draws near and the need to properly tidy up with the various responsibilities at hand becomes imminent, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has embarked on the commissioning of all the finished projects that she has carried out.
A new office complex was recently commissioned in Abuja by the Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo and as a follow up to that, four completed projects were commissioned in Lagos on Sunday with another having its ground breaking process carried out. The completed projects are 5 new Patrol/Security Boats, 5 Refurbished Search and Rescue/Pollution Control Boats, the Refurbished Administrative Building all in Kirikiri area of Lagos and also the Search and Rescue Base Clinic in Apapa GRA. The new project that its ground breaking ceremony was performed is the Apapa skills Acquisition centre at Randle road.
The Minister was accompanied at the commissioning by the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh and a host of dignitaries. In his address at the occasion, the Minister said that “Today’s ceremony serves to further reinforce our commitment, as the projects to be commissioned are directly tied to the mission of NIMASA which is to achieve and sustain safe, secure shipping, cleaner oceans and enhanced maritime capacity in line with the best global practices towards Nigeria’s economic development”. The Minister added that “It is my pleasure to commission these projects for improved service delivery, maritime safety and security enhancement and economic development”.
The NIMASA DG on his part said that “We have from the very beginning of our administration reckoned that attaining a Blue Economy is pivotal to the growth and development of the nation. It was equally important that while we had our vision set on achieving something great, we simultaneously took cognizance of the damaging impact that piracy, kidnapping of seafarers, smuggling, illegal oil bunkering, robbery at sea and illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing have had on our maritime profile. The Gulf of Guinea which Nigeria is a major stakeholder was notorious for piratical attacks and used to be referred to as the “world’s hotspot” for piracy”.
The DG noted that the adoption of the resolution 2634 by the United Nations Security Council led to the establishment of the Deep Blue Project in Nigeria which has seen only 3 cases of piracy reported in 2022 in Nigeria, making the project a big success. Dr. Jamoh noted that these commissioned projects will further enhance the operational capabilities of the agency as well as improve staff morale.
The commissioning of all the projects took most part part of the day and at new Search and Rescue Base Clinic at Azare crescent, the DG of NIMASA noted that the need for staff and other Government agency workers as well as the general public to have access to medical facilities because of the inadequacy of the two major hospitals in Apapa led to the establishment of the two storey building Clinic. He also enumerated other projects that are currently finished around the country and should soon be commissioned.
The entourage after the commissioning of the Clinic moved to the Randle road area where the ground breaking ceremony of the Skills Acquisition centre was performed. The Minister was also met at the ceremony by the chairman of the Apapa local government, Mrs. Senbanjo, the former DG of NIMASA, Dr. Ade Dosunmu and Ms. Linda Chuba-Ikpeazu.
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