…Says agency has no problem with TSA
By RICHARDS ADENIYI
ACTING Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Haruna Baba Jauro has affirmed the agency’s capacity to fully adapt to demands of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), saying the initiative has not in any way affected its operations.
Mr. Jauro, according to the News Agency of Nigeria indicated this in Abuja, during a visit to Daily Trust headquarters, adding that the agency now remit $30m monthly.
“We don’t know what may happen when we come to the payment of contract or contractors but for now, we feel it is going to be the smooth too”, Jauro stated, adding that whatever hitches the agency experienced was merely part of the teething problems.
“We have no problem with the TSA, it is flowing naturally. The Remita has given us a platform wherein we just upload our payments and they go direct to the accounts of the payees,” he highlighted further, stressing, that NIMASA has adjusted, and smoothly been paying staff emoluments, staff allowances in addition to other minor requirements.
He said the agency is monthly generating about $30 million.
“NIMASA is an IGR, that means that we are allowed to make our budget; the budget is approved by the National Assembly. When we get revenue we spend it but there is a Fiscal Responsibility Act that asks us to make contributions of 25 per cent of our gross revenue and that’s what we do even in our budget we pay 25 per cent of the revenue into the government account.”
“Apart from the 25 per cent that we pay, we give five per cent of our revenue to Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, we are also sponsoring seafarers and spending huge amounts of money because it is a scholarship. There are over 2,000 children now and NIMASA is sponsoring some of them 100 per cent.”
In another development, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) say it is investigating an accident involving two sea-going vessels-MT Tank and MT Elixir.
The agency also said that it had started working on the liability resulting from the collision, which occurred on Monday about 65 miles from shore, just 10 nautical miles South West of the Bonga Floating Production Supply and Off-loading Facility (FPSO) near Warri in Delta State.
Mr Calistus Obi, NIMASA’s Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos State on Thursday.
“When a ship, particularly an international sea-going vessel, is involved in accident, there are basic fundamental procedures and rules that must be followed based on IMO (International Maritime Organisation) position.