From left: Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA Engr. Victor Ochei, Director General, NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, OFR and Interim Administrator, Presidential Amnesty Programme PAP Major General Barry Ndiomu rtd. when the Interim Administrator paid a courtesy visit to the headquarters of NIMASA in Lagos.

Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, OFR has said that inter-agency collaboration and synergy are crucial in sustaining the current drive to curb criminal activities, especially piracy not only on the Nigerian waters but also in the Gulf of Guinea region.

The DG spoke when he played host to the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme PAP; Major General (rtd) Barry Ndiomu at the headquarters of the agency in Lagos. He also lauded the visit of the amnesty boss, saying it was timely and a wake-up call to synergy, in order to sustain the tempo of policing the Nigerian waters.

Jamoh also made a strong case for actively and gainfully engaging and empowering the youths on opportunities in the Nigerian maritime industry.

“Nigeria has received several commendations from the international community for the visible successes achieved in addressing insecurity in our maritime domain. As such, they are watching to see if we can sustain the tempo, hence the Agency’s willingness to partner with the Presidential Amnesty Programme and other relevant bodies”, the DG said.

He further informed the Amnesty Interim Administrator on the viability of creating jobs through the Blue Economy, noting that the maritime sector has the wherewithal to engage the youths, as this will dissuade them from the nefarious activities of perpetuating crimes on the nation’s waterways.

The NIMASA boss said: “The Nigerian maritime industry is large enough to sustainably and actively engage the teeming youths, as there are enormous opportunities in the industry that the youths can take advantage of to generate foreign earnings.”

He further assured of the agency’s readiness to collaborate with the Presidential Amnesty Programme in reintegrating beneficiaries of the amnesty programme into the society.

Meanwhile, Major General Ndiomu, who spoke earlier, called on NIMASA to fashion out workable and sustained partnerships towards creating opportunities for teeming youths in the Niger Delta region.

General Ndiomu also disclosed that the PAP has trained a large number of youths across institutions in the world in various specialisations, some of which include Deep Sea Diving, Underwater Welding, and Marine Engineering, hence the reason for seeking partnership with the Agency to engage them actively on maritime related opportunities.

He also used the opportunity to inform the DG of his agenda for the Amnesty Programme. “My vision is to chart a new path for the Amnesty Programme by upholding the principal objectives of government, by bringing innovative ideas, setting a new Management structure of wealth creation for the teeming youths, instead of depending on monthly stipends, to pave way for a more prosperous future. We are looking at technical support from NIMASA, and job placement opportunities in NIMASA for our qualified delegates, he said.

The amnesty programme boss also used the opportunity to commend the DG and his team for redefining the safety and security of Nigeria’s Maritime Industry. “I am aware of your outstanding achievements, particularly in the obvious reduction of piracy on the Gulf of Guinea,” Ndiomu said.

Recall that the Blue Economy mantra has been in the forefront of the campaign under the Jamoh-led administration in NIMASA, which is aimed at educating the public on the ideals of the Blue Economy, while guiding the Federal Government to make policies around the mantra.

Part of the objectives of the Blue Economy is to preserve the resources in the oceans towards ensuring sustainability, wealth creation and by extension job creation, which will help curb insecurity in the country, while also reducing overreliance on crude oil, which is fast loosing relevance in the global space due to the discovery of cleaner energy sources.