By Mitchelle Uzorka, 06:52
The Nigerian Navy has raised alarm over the planned expansion of the mandate of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to be included in the security of maritime.
It said NIMASA should limit its mandate to safety and administration on waterways and not get involved in maritime security matters.
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Chief of Training and Operations, Nigerian Navy, Solomon Agada, said this during the public hearing on some bills on maritime organised by the House Committee on Maritime and Safety. In his presentation, Agada, who represented Chief of Naval Staff Awwal Gambo, said security should be removed from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency Act (Amendment) Bill 2021, allowing the agency to focus on safety.
The bills include the Merchant Shipping Act (Repeal & Enactment) Bill 2021 (HB.1602) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill 2021 (HB.1476). Others are Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) (Amendment) Bill 2020 (HB.77 8), the Maritime Development Bank of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill (2022) (HB.531) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency Act (Amendment) Bill 2021 (HB. 1471).
Meanwhile, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, represented by the Director, Legal Services of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Paul Oteh, expressed reservation about the allocation of 12% of NIMASA’s revenue to fund the Nigerian Maritime University located in Okerenkoko, Delta State.