militating against cabotage implementation and the future of vessels acquisition fund
What did you meet on ground when you assumed office as NIMASA DG?
I met an agency that has knowledgeable people but seemed to have the challenge of leadership vacuum, an agency that was misunderstood by Nigerians. It was viewed as a cash cow, but NIMASA does not have the kind of money that people were made to believe. An agency that ought to play a critical role in the growth of the Nigerian economy had somehow veered off from its core mandate. The moment we joined the NIMASA team, we decided to bring together all staff of the agency and stakeholders in the industry. We sat, discussed, disagreed and agreed and came up with a roadmap to help NIMASA achieve its objective and make Nigeria a global voice in the maritime industry; that’s where we are.
What experience would you say you brought to the table?
I won’t give myself any particular credit but without a doubt, for me to be appointed by the President means I have some managerial skills which the President and his team considered that were needed to turn around a prime agency like NIMASA; so it would not be immodest to say that I and other executive directors of NIMASA came with that much needed management skills, a big picture of where the management leadership should be and a determination to fix the agency to play its regulatory and facilitation functions. We met wonderful people here who desire to work. They needed to be propelled to do what is right and again, to contribute their own quota to the development of the maritime sector of our economy.
Considering where you met NIMASA on assumption of duty and where it is now, what is your assessment of what has been put right?
I am not in a position to assess myself but if the signals I pick are right, people think that NIMASA is a bit more efficient now; that NIMASA has a clear vision of where it wants to go and a lot of work is being done to take NIMASA to that objective it has identified for herself. The stakeholders, if I listen to them, think the agency is a bit more responsive now. The agency is steering clear of politics and concentrating on its core mandate, those are some of the accomplishments that the feelers or signals I get from the industry reveal to me.
Is NIMASA going in the direction of your expectation?
Yes. Are we where we should be? The answer is no – Are we headed in the right direction? From my own assessment and understanding, yes; we are heading in the right direction. Are we moving as fast as we should? No.
How secure is the Nigerian waterways?
There are a lot of improvements but there is a lot of work to be done and because we recognise that there is a lot of work, we are doing a lot more collaboration with our partners both in the country and within the region. We are also working very hard to help the President achieve its new architecture the President has approved for maritime security. You will notice that recently, heads of government in Africa signed the African Charter on Maritime Security, Safety and Development because they also recognise that the blue economy has a role to play in terms of economic growth of our different nations; so NIMASA has an in-country responsibility as that agency that is responsible for maritime sector regulation. We have a role to play in the realisation of the charter that was signed by African heads of state as well as African integrated maritime strategy as well as ECOWAS maritime integrated strategy. So I think that today the Nigeria maritime domain is more secure than it was yesterday. It can only get better, it can’t get worse. The Navy is scaling up their game, NIMASA too is scaling up their own game; so working collaboratively, we are going to achieve more and I think we are already achieving more.
Are you a romantic person?
It is only my wife that can answer that.
With your busy schedule how do you share your time with your family?
I admit that the schedule is crazy. My children are grown up and they are not even around. Only one is around now so the challenge is my wife and she is complaining of never having enough of me.
Report credit: This day newspaper
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