30 January 2017, Sweetcrude, Lagos — The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside has said that the nation’s maritime industry is ready to take its rightful place as the top revenue earner for the government, having concluded plans to support its growth.
Speaking in Lagos during a courtesy visit by the leadership of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Peterside urged the media, especially the maritime press to support the government’s drive to diversify the economy for growth and create alternative opportunities for investments.
He urged the maritime media to be professional in their report of the industry adding that the media is the interface between the public and the Government.
He explained that people look up to the media as the major source of information especially as the Government seeks to diversify the economy from oil.
“We urge you to support the Government as it diversifies the economy for a better future for the entire Nigerian populace. You have to be fair and professional while reporting Government activities in order not to create unnecessary panic among the public”, the NIMASA boss said.
He stated that the maritime industry is ready to take over from oil as the leading revenue earner in the country and called on all stakeholders to look into the available opportunities that abound in the sector.
Dr. Peterside said, “the ocean is a resource a country can leverage on to grow its economy and blessed with a coastline of about 853km and 250 nautical mile Exclusive Economic zone, we must begin to take advantage of the maritime opportunities available to us to grow our economy”.
Earlier in his address, Mr. Abdulwaheed Odusile, who had on his entourage the Chairman of the Lagos branch of the NUJ, Mr. Deji Elumoye said that his colleagues will do more to focus on Government activities geared towards revamping the economy, especially at agencies such as NIMASA that are in the frontline of driving the diversification process.
He noted that this will help ensure a virile maritime industry and by extension a greater Nigerian economy.