By Obiabin Onukwugha
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has said that it will submit the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offenses Act (SPOMO Act 2019) before the Hoise of Representatives for amendment.
Director General of NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh disclosed this during a sensitization workshop tagged “Harnessing the Nation’s Blue Economy, A Legislative Approach”, organised for members of the House Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration, recently.
Speaking during the workshop, Jamoh said the aim of the workshop was to sensitise the federal lawmakers on the Blue Economy.
Jamoh informed that efforts by NIMASA in maritime security has brought about Nigeria recording zero Piracy incidents in the past two years. He also noted the activities of the agency on Maritime Safety and Seafarers Development in securing Nigeria’s territorial waters.
Contributing, the Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration, Hon Uduak Odudoh commended the leadership style of Jamoh, and called for a sustained workshops by the agency because of the importance of the information.
He said: “The little we have learnt today, even one week is not enough, so we are planning to come back so that we can be well integrated and capture what we are supposed to do in partnership with this agency for the betterment of Nigeria.
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“On the amendment of obsolete laws, I want to assure Nigerians that we shall go back home and do the needful.
“Let me commend the NIMASA DG who have proven that he is a compendium of the blue economy, he has done well. My appeal is for every staff of NIMASA should cooperate with him to ensure the agency succeed.
“On our part as National Assembly, we would not rest on our oars in ensuring that every allocation the agency needs is provided for them to deliver on their core mandates.”
Earlier, Mrs Jean Chiazor Anishere, a maritime lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) noted that most of the existing laws of NIMASA and other regulatory agencies in the maritime sector cannot function under the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy unless they are amended.
According to her, the laws are obsolete and cannot harness the potentials of the blue economy potentials.
Some of the laws highlighted included; the Cabotage Act, the NIMASA Act, Fisheries and Aquaculture Regulation.
Anishere insisted that for the Blue Economy concept to thrive in Nigeria, there must be a creation of Blue Economy Framework which should be passed by the National Assembly into law, to serve as a guideline to Nigeria harnessing its blue economy potentials.
She said: “The Carbotage Act 2003 was meant to enhance Nigerian ship owners to participate in the industry. The policy is good in terms of empowerment of indigenous operators, ship owners. But then, there is an embargo of some sort to that policy.
