Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside has assured stakeholders and all vessels calling at Nigerian ports of their safety and security.
Peterside gave the assurance at the opening ceremony of a 5-day training on International Maritime Organisation (IMO) led International Ships and Ports Security (ISPS) Code Compliance Training for Nigeria yesterday in Lagos.
The DG said Nigeria as a maritime nation take the issue of safety and security seriously.
“Nigeria as a maritime nation take the issue of security very seriously that is why we are also taking issue of enforcement of ISPS code seriously because it is crucial to the work we do.
“Therefore, all we can say to all those who call in our ports is to be assured of their safety and their security,” he said.
Peterside stated that the country as at the last count is rated 78 percent compliance level in ISPS Code implementation.
“No nation’s has hit the 100 percent mark but we hope to be in the 90 percent range any moment from now and any time a new assessment is done. But I think we are doing well in implementation of ISPS Code in the country,” he said.
He said the training would help build capacity of the agency’s staff in enforcement and implementation of the code.
The DG added that the training was to sustain the positive trajectory of the ISPS video as recommended by the IMO.
“Like we said the best way to build an organisation is to build people with talent, skills and knowledge and this have to be on a continuous basis.
“The training will avail all participants with a good insight of the Destination Authority (DA) implementation process and a forum for deliberation on contemporary issues related to ensuring compliance by port facilities.
“To sustain the positive trajectory of the process, the IMO recommended additional training for key NIMASA personnel and stakeholders in the implementation of the provisions of the code,” he said.
Participants were drawn from Federal Ministry of Transportation, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).
Meanwhile, Peterside has condemned in strong terms, the barbaric and gruesome assassination of Barrister Ken Atsuwete in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
The NIMASA Director General, who was reacting to the sad incidence noted that the killing of the prominent activist, political commentator and lawyer was “perhaps the deadliest of several politically motivated killings in Rivers State”.
He said, “Without any doubt, the killers of Ken Atsuwete have the objective of instilling fear in the rank of the opposition, stifle them and silence every voice of reason in Rivers State. The killing of Ken Atsuwete is perhaps the height of impunity which is now an everyday way of life in my home State of Rivers.
“I call on the Inspector General of Police, Director General of State Security Service and other national security agencies to conduct an extensive investigation into this heinous crime with a view to bringing the perpetrators to book and restoring sanity to our dear state.”
Peterside lost the governorship contest of Rivers State to incumbent governor, Nyesom Wike, in April 2015.
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