The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside had said the agency would ensure that “Nigeria becomes the hub of maritime activities in Africa’’.
According to a statement issued by the Head of Public Relations Unit of NIMASA, Hajia Lami Tumaka, Peterside stated this when he officially took over from the former Acting Director-General, Mr Haruna Jauro at the headquarters of the agency in Lagos. The new director-general said that the Agency had competent personnel to drive the mandate of the agency. Peterside urged Jauro to always avail the agency of his experience and expertise “whenever the need arises’’. “We will harness the vast potential available in the agency in order to make Nigeria a maritime hub in the West and Central Africa sub-region,’’the director-general said. He said that the agency would do this by implementing all international laws and conventions; “increased enforcement of our mandate and build the necessary capacity for indigenous operators leveraging on the Cabotage Act’’.
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Peterside described Jauro as an Ambassador of NIMASA to the Federal Government and called on him to continue to support the agency whenever his services are needed. Jauro expressed gratitude to God and the Federal Government for giving him the opportunity to serve the nation in the last three and a half years. He noted that he was ready to work for the success of the present management anytime his services would be required. Jauro urged the new director-general to look through the Act that governed NIMASA as his guiding compass. He noted that the Cabotage Act should be reviewed with a view to impacting positively on the indigenous operators. NAN reports that President Muhammadu Buhari recently appointed Peterside as the Director General of NIMASA.