NIMASA COMMISSIONS NEWLY COMPLETED PROJECTS

NIMASA COMMISSIONS NEWLY COMPLETED PROJECTS

... As  the supervisory Ministry, we will continue to give our support to NIMASA- Sambo

Dr. Bashir Jamoh, D.G. NIMASA

By: Bisi Akingbade

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, has commissioned its completed projects directly tied to the mission of NIMASA which is to achieve and sustain safe, secure shipping, cleaner oceans and enhanced maritime capacity in line with the best global practices towards Nigeria’s economic development.

The event which took place at Launching of Maritime Assets and Commissioning of Administrative Building at the newly acquired NIMASA office in Lagos.

In his address the Director General, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, OFR, said NIMASA as an agency has been persistent and relentless in the fight against maritime crime and insecurity while also striving at making the waterways and general maritime ecosystem safe.

NEWLY COMMISSIONED PATROL BOAT

   

The Director General while speaking said "Permit me to start by asserting that truly, persistency pays. The Late Maya Angelou is credited to have said that “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated”. It is bearing this notion in mind that has over the past four years fuelled our determination as an agency at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency,  NIMASA, and as a nation in its entirety, to be persistent and relentless in the fight against maritime crime and insecurity while also striving at making our waterways and general maritime ecosystem safe.

"We have from the very beginning of our administration reckoned that attaining a Blue Economy is pivotal to the growth and development of the nation. It was equally important that while we had our vision set on achieving something great, we simultaneously took cognizance of the damaging impact that piracy, kidnapping of seafarers, smuggling, illegal oil bunkering, robbery at sea and illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing has had on our maritime profile". 

Jamoh also said the year of 2022 was a successful year for Nigeria in the fight against piracy and other maritime crime and same should be regarded as a milestone for the Buhari-led administration. 

"The International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Center (IMB PRC) regarded this as a positive trend. This equally meant that the year 2022 was a successful year for Nigeria in the fight against piracy and other maritime crime and same should be regarded as a milestone for the Buhari-led administration. 

In his assessment of the deep blue projects,  he said  "The Deep Blue project is a $195 million investment towards vessels, Maritime Domain Awareness platforms, and land and air and sea assets". 

"The land assets comprises the Command, Control, Computer, Communication, and Intelligence (C4i) Centre for domain awareness and intelligence gathering, 16 armored vehicles for coastal patrol, and a 600-strong Maritime Security Unit specially trained for interdiction. The air assets comprises two Special Mission Aircraft (SMA) for surveillance of the EEZ, three Special Mission Helicopters (SMHs) for search and rescue, and four Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) while the sea assets comprises two Special Mission Vessels (SMVs) and 17 Fast Interceptor Boats (FIBs).

"The Deep Blue Project which has tremendously boosted the rate of safety of the waterways was an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Transportation and Federal Ministry of Defense, implemented by NIMASA, with personnel drawn from the Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police, Department of State Services, and other security agencies". 

Minister of Transportation, Hon. Mu'azu Jaji Sambo

In his remarks the Minister of Transportation, Honourable Jaji Sambo, commended NIMASA for the show of commitment to ensuring the safety and security of Nigerian waters.

"The completion of the just mentioned projects by NIMASA shows the agency’s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of Nigerian waters, as the newly renovated Administrative block will create a conducive work environment, thereby increasing the productivity of the staff, the Search and Rescue Clinics will enable the agency to fulfil its obligations to seafarers and the general public by providing top-notch medical care facilities, and the newly acquired Communication Gadgets will enable the agency’s enforcement and search and rescue operators communicate in real-time without any hindrance or interference while conducting their operations at sea.

The Minister of Transportation gave an assurance that "as  the supervisory Ministry, we will continue to give our support to NIMASA as she continues down this commendable path to ensuring the growth of maritime in Nigeria. And as stated during the commissioning of the Abuja Zonal office, we commit ourselves to the supervisory role that would create enabling operational regimes for the Agencies and Departments under the FMOT".

The following were launched and commissioned by NIMASA:  5 new Patrol/Security Boats, 5 Refurbished Search and Rescue/Pollution Control Boats, the Commissioning of Search and Rescue Clinic and the Commissioning of an Administrative Building.