The Obong of Calabar, Edidem Ekpo Okon, has expressed confidence in the Board of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and commended its composition by the Federal Government.
The commendation came through a statement by the Head, Corporate Communications Team of NIMASA, Hajia Lami Tumaka, on Wednesday.
According to the statement, the Obong said the calibre of personalities in the Board gave a lot of confidence and hope that the Nigerian maritime industry was set to experience renewed development.
The monarch spoke while receiving the Board of NIMASA in his palace.
He described the maritime industry as a great facilitator of trade and called on the Board to develop a master plan for the advancement of the Nigerian maritime industry.
The Obong also urged NIMASA to establish a Zonal office in Calabar to engender greater maritime activities in the area and to support the development of the Bakassi deep sea port.
He tasked the Federal Government on the dredging of the Calabar channel which he described as the longest channel linking Nigeria’s coast to the Atlantic Ocean to enable bigger vessels to call at the Calabar Port.
The Chairman, Governing Board of the NIMASA, Gen. Jonathan Garba (rtd), commended the Obong for maintaining a peaceful atmosphere in his domain.
Garba described Calabar as an important Port City, adding that the new management of NIMASA would partner other stakeholders to make the Calabar port viable again.
The Director-General of NIMASA, Dr Dakuku Peterside, said that Calabar had always played a strategic role in the development of the Nigerian maritime industry.
Peterside assured the monarch that NIMASA would do all that is necessary to restore the Calabar Port to its pride of place.
The Board members, who are in Calabar for a three day strategy retreat, had earlier paid a courtesy visit on Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State.
Peterside, however, said to achieve the agency’s vision of becoming the leading maritime administration in Africa and advancing Nigeria’s global maritime goals, “it is important that there is no disconnect between policy formulation and policy implementation’’.
He described the Board as the bridge between policy formulation and policy implementation.
The director-general said the Board was composed of individuals with proven integrity and commitment to the service of the nation who would support the re-invention of NIMASA.
“The Governing Board of this Agency as the bridge between policy making and policy implementation is most suited to drive this process of NIMASA and maritime industry’s self-reinvention.
“We are privileged that the supervising ministry and the President of our country have absolute confidence in the Board and its ability to help management achieve the much-desired acceleration needed by NIMASA and the industry,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quotes Peterside as saying.
He said the strategic retreat was aimed at serving as a melting pot of ideas between the Board and the Management of the agency with the objective of making NIMASA the most efficient, effective and responsive regulatory institution in Nigeria.
Peterside said this would contribute in diverse ways to the economic growth of the country.
“To achieve this, information flow must be seamless.
“We must do all that is necessary to eliminate poor communication flow.
“Both the Board and the management must always have their eyes on the big picture and not allow distractions clothed in short term pecuniary benefits,’’ NAN quotes the director-general as saying.
Peterside highlighted the strategic importance of marine transportation to Nigeria’s economy, adding that marine transportation depended on enforcement of laws, rules, conventions and regulations to guarantee safe, secure and environmentally responsible shipping.
“It is thus our fate that our agency, NIMASA, must be an accelerator rather than a brake, in this economic engine.
“To this end, the Governing Board of NIMASA, the Management of the agency, industry stakeholders, our partners in the military services, other collaborating Federal agencies, international regulators, and our supervising ministry (Ministry of Transportation) should work collaboratively to optimise marine transportation and lead the development of indigenous commercial shipping, which is our mandate, ’’ he said.
He commended the resource persons at the retreat, who would assist members of the Board in understanding more deeply the industry they had been called to give direction at this time of national economic challenge.
