The Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dayo Mobereola held his first interactive session with stakeholders in Lagos on Thursday.
Mobereola was appointed as the NIMASA helmsman by President Bola Tinubu on March 13.
Speaking at the event, a ship owner and former Minister of Interior, Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho described Mobereola as a thoroug-bees professional of international standing who will dedicate himself to the growth of the sector.
He expressed optimism that the sector would record significant progress under the new NIMASA Director General.
Many stakeholders who took turns to speak at the event advised Mobereola to focus on empowering Nigerian ship owners; developing indigenous capacity and disbursing the long-awaited Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF).
President of the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping, Aminu Umar advocated duty waiver for on vessels acquired by Nigerians to enable them compete effectively with their foreign counterparts.
He also called for the digitization and standardization of the Nigerian ship registry.
On her part, the Chairman, Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), Princess Vicky Haastrup advocated the training and retraining of dockworkers by NIMASA to complement the efforts of terminal operators.
“We do some training for them as terminal operators but the real training is supposed to be done by NIMASA that has the necessary infrastructures for it,” she said.
Haastrup said that the 0.5 per cent stevedoring charges collected from terminal operators by NIMASA is meant to be used for training dockworkers but this has not been done so far.
In his response, Mobereola said the purpose of the event was to listen to the stakeholders and glean ideas from them.
He said his management team would focus attention on delivering on the key mandates of the agency. He also assured of gender inclusion in the sector.
The event was attended by many stakeholders including former chief executives of the agency.
A new collective bargaining agreement for seafarers titled “Reviewed Minimum Standards for Nigerian Seafarers for 2023-2025” was unveiled at the event.