By Lod Onyeji
Dr Bashir Jamoh, the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), in a press conference recently has disclosed his administration’s desire to build a brand new Nigeria Maritime industry that is comparable with the best in international maritime across the globe.
The DG stated this while presenting the agency’s 2021 scorecard to Maritime Journalists during a media parley which was held in the agency’s Boardroom last Friday in company of two Executive Directors and other management team of the agency.
Dr. Jamoh, who expressed sadness over the continued rejection of the Nigerian seafarers by indigenous ship owners and their international counterparts, saying that his office decided to commence thorough check on incidences of forgery of Nigerian certificates so as to enhance the employment of Nigerian seafarers in the Maritime sector; adding that the agency has reactivated the online seafarers certificate of competency verification platform which he said has drastically reduced forgery of Nigerian Certificates.
In his words,” we have been experiencing rejection as well as discrimination against the Nigerian seafarers by ship owners both locally and internationally, and the agency decided to introduce online Seafarers Certificate of Competency Verification Platform which allows you as a ship owner to access those candidates that passed examinations directly from the comfort of their offices on their computers. And with this, we intend to reduce and eliminate the forgery of our own certificates and improve the standard and confidence of our certification”. Jamoh said.
The DG, who disclosed that a total of 246 (Two hundred and forty six) certificates were revalidated in 2021 revealed that 828 (Eight hundred and twenty nine) officers cadre sat for the examination out of which 264 (Two hundred and sixty four) officers amounting to 32 % pass, while a total of 565 (Five hundred and sixty five) candidates failed which amounted to 68 percent.
The Director General also used the opportunity to hint that his administration will no longer condone renting of facilities and landlords’ harassment of an agency like NIMASA. He disclosed that the agency has opened operational offices across the country, one of such is the Lokoja office which he said can harness the resources that are available in inland waterways, in his words, “In the year 2022, we are saying goodbye to rented facilities, we will provide offices at all levels, open skill acquisition centers in the six geopolitical zones so that our youths who are not privileged to get conventional education shall be trained on how to be useful to themselves so that they don’t rely on government for employment”.
On wrecks removal, the DG said that the exercise would be carried out in two phases . Badagry- TinCan axis which has already commenced and is in advanced stage, and also on line are the Western zone, the Eastern zone and the Southern zone saying that the agency has already placed the project before the ministry of transportation for onward transmission to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for consideration and approval he expressed belief that in no distant feature, his administration would be able to attest to a symbolic achievement in the first quarter of 2022.
On Staff welfare, Dr. Bashir Jamoh stated that the agency has introduced a new salary structure which is in the final stage of approval by the Presidential Committee at the Federal Ministry of Finance, this according to him will see the staff rejoicing over salary increment noting that his administration is poised to providing and better working environment for all staff of the agency and placing Nigeria maritime industry to a higher
