Kunle Kalejaye 17 April 2016, Sweetcrude, Lagos – The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside has welcomed the plan by the European Union, EU, to invest over 20 million euros on maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.
While receiving a delegation of EU consultants led by Mr. Chris Hedley in his office in Lagos, Peterside commended the union for the initiative as called on other partners to collaborate with NIMASA and Nigeria to eradicate piracy and other criminal activities in the Gulf of Guinea.
“More than ever, Nigeria is better positioned to take advantage of strategic partnerships to make the country the hub of maritime activities in West and Central Africa,” he said.
The NIMASA director general, who observed that the Gulf of Guinea is very strategic to world trade also assured the delegates of the agency’s determination to tackle the menace of crime at sea in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
Earlier in his address, Mr. Hedley said the EU planned to use the funds in developing and strengthening legislations, building capacity in maritime security and developing the necessary Information Technology for member nations with a view to eradicating piracy and other related crimes in the Gulf of Guinea.
