Vincent Toritseju
Lagos — In a bid to form seamless synergy within the Nigerian maritime industry, the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, and the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, have ceded their wreck removal functions to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA.
Disclosing this during a meeting of the Chief Executive Officers of about five maritime institutions held in Lagos recently, the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, explained that the development was in line with the new industry regulatory environment which is now more complementary and cooperative. He added that the functions of the three institutions were overlapping with regards to removal of wrecks on the nation’s waterways.
He also said that section 22 of the NIMASA Act gives the agency power to remove wrecks from its waterways adding that section 9 of the Nigerian Ports Authority Act also give the NPA powers to remove wrecks while section 7 of the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, Act gives similar powers to remove wrecks.
Jamoh stated: “During our last meeting we agreed that NIMASA should go ahead and commence the process of removing wrecks within the nation’s territorial waters.
“We have already made our own presentation to the Federal Ministry of Transportation and I think by now the approval for NIMASA to remove wrecks is suppose to be with the Public Bureau of Procurement, BPP.
“After they have given us a certificate of no objection, we will go to the Federal Executive Council, FEC, and then obtain approval to commence the removal of wrecks.
“You can see the Acts establishing NIMASA, NIWA and NPA gives each of us powers to remove wrecks but neither the Managing Director NPA nor the Managing Director of NIWA is contesting who should remove wrecks because they have allowed NIMASA to go ahead with the removal which, to me, is another milestone achievement or fallout of the meeting of the Chief Executive Officers of Maritime institutions.
“What we could not achieve within the last decade, we achieved within the last two months.”