Dakuku Peterside: Lawyers key to development of maritime sector

The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside, has charged practitioners of law in the maritime sector on the need for regular updates on the knowledge of the sector, due to the dynamism of maritime law regulating the industry, which is key to its development.
Speaking at the dinner event of the Annual General Meeting of Nigeria Maritime Law Association (NMLA) held at Uyo in Akwa Ibom state at the weekend, Dr Peterside described maritime which is driven by international laws as a pillar of the economy and issues regarding the sector must be taken seriously.
According to the DG, “Maritime is driven by international and  municipal laws with an infusion of technology which makes the sector always re-evolving , Maritime law is a specialized branch of law so practitioners must update their knowledge to meet  up with the pace of the change of the sector” he said.
He also noted the importance of the maritime aspect of law to NIMASA adding that the Law majorly is concerned with commercial aspects of shipping as well as the navigation which are core functions of the Agency in its bid to ensure that Nigeria’s maritime domain remains safe and secure for maritime business to thrive.
“The responsibility of enforcing the ground norm of maritime; the Merchant Shipping Act is the sole responsibility of the Agency. NMLA is our major ally as we continue to strive to ensure the development of maritime for the economic benefit of our great country. I will like to commend this special Association for being our worthy partner and we will continue to show our support for NMLA.” Dr. Peterside said.
Earlier in his presentation, President of NMLA, Mr L C Ilogu (SAN) said that  NIMASA as the maritime safety administration of Nigeria has a great role to play in the development of the maritime sector, he commended Dr. Dakuku and the Agency’s management team for ushering in a new direction for the maritime industry through its repositioning drive.
The Nigerian Maritime Law Association is a body of Lawyers and related professionals in the maritime industry established in 1977. It is the Nigerian Chapter of the Comite Maritime International (CMI) which was the first known International organisation concerned with maritime law and related commercial practices.