Ex-DG NIMASA, Dr. Ade Dosunmu MON.

Former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA, Dr. Ade Dosunmu MON, has taken a swipe at those proposing a merger between the agency, Federal Inland Revenue Service FIRS and the Nigeria Customs Service, warning that it would be an exercise in futility and counterproductive.

The former NIMASA-boss, in a statement, warned that the proposed merger portends serious danger for Nigeria’s economy as a shipping nation and member of the International Maritime Organisation IMO, and also cautioned the Presidential Policy Advisory group for erroneously classifying NIMASA as a revenue generating agency, arguing that its core functions go far beyond that.

According to him, apart from being counterproductive, the proposed merger would bring about huge negative implications for Nigeria in the global shipping community, one of which being that the nation’s waters would be considered unsafe for international shipping, a development that could affect the volume of maritime trade and eventually lead to a decline in revenue.

He further listed another negative implication, which is that Nigeria’s waters could become a destination for rickety ships and thereby becoming a dumping ground for ship wrecks and derelicts, arguing that as at today, the country is the leading maritime nation in West and Central Africa in terms of ship traffic and cargo volumes.

This feat, according to him, was not achieved in a day but was achieved over time through cumulative effects of the reforms introduced by successive administrations to strengthen the capacity of NIMASA as a Maritime Safety Administration for Nigeria.

Dosunmu who also worked with the Nigerian Ports Authority NPA as some point, also noted that the IMO, an agency of the United Nations, has 167 maritime nations as members including Nigeria due to her vast maritime coastlines, adding that the IMO issues conventions and protocols which all member states assent to and regulating global shipping trade.

He argued that such conventions as Marine Pollution Prevention (MARPOL), and its various annexures i.e. Discharging of oily waste, Noxious substances and dangerous goods, Discharging of sewage, Garbage including plastics, Air emission, among others need to be strictly implemented by the agency as one of its core functions.

He listed other conventions such as London Protocol on Prohibition of Dumping of Waste in the Marine Environment, International Convention on Wreck Removal (Nairobi Convention), Training and Certification of Seafarer (STCW ’95), Safety of Life At Sea (SOLAS), Convention on Ship Recycling to Ensure Environmental Sound Practices (Hong Kong) Convention, to mention just a few, all which have been domesticated in Nigeria and NIMASA as the focal agency for their implementation through the discharge of its technical mandate which cannot be performed by any other agency in the country.

Legally, he pointed out that NIMASA was created in 2007 following the merger of the former National Maritime Authority NMA and Joint Maritime Labour Industrial Council JOMALIC and derives its powers from Merchant Shipping Act, 2007, NIMASA Act, 2007 and Coastal and Inland shipping (Cabotage) Act, 2003.

He therefore insists that NIMASA was statutorily created as a Maritime Safety Administration responsible for regulating shipping activities in Nigeria with a view to achieving safer shipping and cleaner oceans as mandated by the IMO through its various conventions and protocols.

Dosunmu further argued that the enabling acts give NIMASA statutory powers as specified by the international conventions and protocols for the enthronement of global best practices in ensuring safety of navigation and prevention / control of marine pollution in the shipping industry as regulated by the IMO, in which Nigeria is a contracting member state, adding that NIMASA also has responsibility for development of indigenous shipping capacity.

The statement reads in part: “My attention has been drawn to speculation purported to have emanated from the Presidential Policy Advisory group erroneously classifying the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA as a revenue generating agency, thereby proposing a merger of NIMASA, Customs and FIRS. It is a very serious misconception and dangerous for the future of shipping/ maritime industry in Nigeria.

“It is my strong view therefore that the proposed merger will be counterproductive with huge negative implications for Nigeria in the global shipping community. Our waters may be considered no longer safe for international shipping and that can affect the volume of maritime trade and eventually lead to drop in revenue. Another implication is that our waters can become a destination for rickety ships and thereby becoming a dumping ground for ship wrecks and derelicts.

“As at today, Nigeria is the leading maritime Nation in West and Central Africa in terms of ship traffic and cargo. This feat was not achieved in a day. It is the cumulative effect of the reforms successive administrations introduced to strengthen the capacity of NIMASA as a Maritime Safety Administration for the country.

“I can say the proposal in my view is like suggesting a merger of Nigerian Navy with Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps NSDC because the later has responsibility for protecting critical national assets. For instance, technically speaking, all ships that call on Nigeria’s waters carry minimum of five certificates, which include certificate on safety equipment, certificate on radio equipment, and certificate on crewing etc. These certificates are carried by all ships calling on seaports globally. NIMASA Surveyors, under its Port States responsibility must board these ships to ensure compliance with global requirements. NIMASA also carries out Flag State inspection on all ships before they are registered to determine their fitness for the purpose. In this regard, the ships are subjected to preregistration survey and condition survey. All these are in line with the Safety of Life At Sea (SOLAS) and STCW ‘95 Conventions of the IMO.

“NIMASA being Nigeria’s Safety Administration has counterparts in 167 maritime nations responsible for ensuring safer shipping and cleaner oceans through the instrumentality of the technical mandate. It performs Port State inspection, Flag State inspection, search and rescue, maritime capacity building, maritime security by ensuring our waters are safe from piracy and sea robbers, prevention/control of marine pollution, administers the training and certification of seafarers (STCW ’95), shipping development, coastal and inland shipping (Cabotage) and maritime labour administration.

“All these functions by NIMASA require technical expertise and can only be performed by a Safety Administration. The same technical functions are performed by Maritime Safety Administration of UK, MCA, US Coast Guard, Safety Administration of Greece, Finland, Cyprus and all other member countries of the IMO.

“It is therefore my humble position that emphasis of government should be on how to strengthen NIMASA to deliver more on its technical mandates and not merging it with agencies that are not compatible with its philosophy and objectives. However, I am happy Ms Hadiza Bala Usman, former Managing Director of the NPA has been appointed by President Tinubu as the Special Adviser, Policy Coordination. Hadiza whom I know is very abreast of the Nigerian Maritime sector, would be able to advise the President accordingly due to her expertise and experience in the industry.

“Again the activities of over 40 Floating Production Storage Offloading (FPSO) and Floating Storage and Offloading FSO, such as Agbami, Bonga, Egina, Akpo engaging in crude oil exploration and production offshore Nigeria’s waters are potential polluters. It is the responsibility of NIMASA to monitor and ensure that there is no pollution of the marine environment to protect aquatic life and our Ecosystem. To do this, NIMASA must invest heavily on the procurement of offshore Reception Facilities to collect and process the wastes from these platforms. All these are in line with MARPOL Convention, and the mandate requires technical know-how which NIMASA over the years has developed capacity to handle.

“Let me quickly point out that there is no doubt that in the course of discharging her technical mandate, NIMASA generates revenue and uses part of it to prosecute its technical regulatory functions. The surplus at the end of the year is paid into the federation account in line with the target set by Ministry of Finance.

“However, the critical and urgent nature of some of these technical activities and the fact that they require instant response is part of the reason NIMASA is allowed to retain its funds and sometime not allowed to go through the bureaucracy of tendering e.g a vessel that is sinking or an  unexpected oil spill and pollution of the waters, or wreck that needs to be removed to ensure safety of channels for Navigation, flag state inspection, survey, regular patrol of our coastal waters and enforcement of necessary regulations.”