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Tag: NIMASA

  • NIMASA to verify seafarers’ certificate online

    The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has launched an online application system that will enable verification of the authenticity of seafarers’ Certificates of Competency (CoC) anywhere in the world.

    The new CoC verification system, according to a statement issued by the Deputy Director/Head Public Relations, Isichei Osamgbi, was presented to maritime stakeholders recently in Lagos at an interactive forum organised by the Agency to highlight the special features of the system.

    In his welcome address, the Director-General of NIMASA, Mr. Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi noted that the initiative is part of the Agency’s efforts to ensure that operations of NIMASA are in line with acceptable International best practice.

    Akpobolokemi, whose address was read by the Agency’s Executive Director, Maritime Safety and Shipping Development, Capt. Ezekiel Agaba, explained that the online CoC verification system is cost effective and much more reliable.

    He said: “our commitment to ensure professionalism in the Nigerian maritime sector is unflinching. Our goal is to attain maximum efficiency in the process of certificate verifications which can now be done from any part of the world at any time. The era of fake certificate is over in the Nigerian Maritime Sector.”

    He urged shipping companies seeking authenticity of the Certificates of Competency (CoC) for seafarers to take advantage of the online method.

    Agaba assured stakeholders of the Agency’s resolve to continue to build the required capacity to meet the domestic and international obligations adding that that could only be achieved through collective determination.

    Stakeholders applauded the efforts of the Agency’s capacity building initiatives and pledged their continuous support towards the growth of the sector.

    Captain Niyi Labinjo, General Secretary of the Nigerian Ship Owners Association (NISA), expressed the association’s readiness to work closely with NIMASA and appealed that more should be done in the area of training.

  • Absence of prosecutor stalls ex-NIMASA DG’s trial

    The absence of the prosecution on Monday stalled the trial of Raymond Omatseye, a former Director-General, Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), charged with contract scam.

    When the case was mentioned, the Defence Counsel, Mr. Olusina Sofola (SAN), informed the court of the absence of the prosecutor, Mr. Godwin Obla (SAN), whom he said was indisposed.

    He, therefore, prayed the court for a short adjournment to give the prosecutor time to get well enough to attend court trials.

    Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia adjourned the case till February 5, for continuation of the trial,

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Omatseye is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an amended 27-count charge of alleged contract scam.

    He was re-arraigned on January 21, 2013, and had pleaded not guilty to the charge and was admitted to bail.

    At the last adjourned date on December 3, 2013, the prosecution had called its second witness, a former Director of Procurement, NIMASA, who testified that Omatseye never executed any contract for the supply of generator sets.

    NAN recalls that In the charge, the accused was said to have been involved in contract splitting and bid rigging, estimated at over N1.5 billion.

    The offences contravene Sections 14(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004, and Sections 58(4) (d) of the Public Procurement Act, 2007.

     

     

  • Reports on piracy misleading, says NIMASA boss

    Reports of attacks on ships on the nation’s territorial waters are sometimes exaggerated, the Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr Patrick Akpobolokemi, has said.

    He told members of the House of Representatives Committee on Marine Transport that NIMASA is collaborating with some security agencies to stem criminality.

    The NIMASA boss said the collaboration with the Navy and the Air Force had helped to reduce attacks on ships and cargoes.

    “Not all the cases of reported hijacks, piracy and robbery on our waters are genuine. Some of these cases are hyped to undermine us and shore-up insurance premium to Nigeria. I am not saying that piracy does not occur in our domain, but it is exaggerated. We are working tirelessly to reduce piracy and illicit crimes on our waterways to the barest minimum through these collaborative efforts,” he said.

    Akpobolokemi said NIMASA under his watch was committed to positioning Nigeria as the best maritime nation in Africa, by 2020.

    He said the budget performance of NIMASA in terms of revenue generation showed an improved performance as at October 31, when compared to last year’s, indicating that the agency is set to meet its target before the end of the fiscal year.

    urged the Federal Government to formulate and implement good policies that will galvanise the required change in the nation’s maritime sector.

    Akpobolokemi urged domestic and foreign investors to invest in the nation’s maritime sector as over 5,300 vessels called at the nation’s sea ports last year.

    Also delivering a paper on the ‘Maritime Sector: Gateway to Nigeria’s economic transformation’ at the event organised by the Maritime Reporters Association (MARAN) in Lagos, last week, Akpobolokemi, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Mr Isichei Osamgbi, urged government’s agencies operating in the maritime sector to synergise to boost the sector.

    He said with appropriate synergy and information sharing, the sector would be transformed and yield huge revenue for the country.

    Akpobolokemi praised the National Assembly for its plan to amend the Cabotage Act and make it adaptive to the nation’s maritime industry.

    He listed the achievements of the agency during the period under review to include enhanced safety and security of the maritime domain through regular patrols, building a corps of qualified maritime professionals under the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) scheme, establishment of Institutes of Maritime Studies in four universities, establishment of a Maritime University, establishment of a Science and Technical College and construction of a ship yard and dock yard.

    Others are regular funding of Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) in Oron, Akwa Ibom State, recruitment of qualified professionals in line with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Audit requirements, enhanced flag and port state administration, submission of the instruments of ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 to the International Labour Organisation and procurement of boats through a PPP arrangement to boost enforcement.

    Appraising the agency’s performances, the Committee commended the budget performance of NIMASA this year.

    Its Chairman, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi noted that the management of the agency has been spending more on capital projects than overhead and described the step as a necessity and good omen if all sectors of the nation’s economy are to move forward.

    Ugwuanyi said his commitment will continue to support NIMASA in order to ensure maximum efficiency in the transformation of the maritime sector.

    The Committee also applauded the NSDP of NIMASA as a veritable tool for wealth creation and pledged its unflinching support for youth development in the sector.

    Speaking on the Cabotage Act, Ugwuanyi, however, said the committee had noted the concerns of the agency for an amendment to the law to make it more adaptable to the Nigerian maritime realities.

    He said: “We have noted your concerns about the Cabotage Act and have already made a presentation to the House Committee on Rules and Business. Very soon, the amendments will be presented to the House for consideration.”

    The Chairman however, urged NIMASA to support the aspiration of MAN towards transforming into a degree awarding institution, as that would further enhance capacity development in the maritime sector.

  • NIMASA scam: How contracts were awarded, by EFCC witness

    NIMASA scam: How contracts were awarded, by EFCC witness

    Most of the contracts awarded at the Ni geria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) alleged to have been split, were approved by the agency’s governing board, a Federal High Court heard yesterday.

    An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness, Mohammed Shehu, said the agency’s former Director-General, Mr. Raymond Omatseye did not influence the contracts.

    Testifying at the Federal High Court in Lagos during the resumed hearing, the witness said the agency’s board was responsible for award of contracts until a tenders’ board was set up.

    He said most of the contracts awarded during Omatseye’s tenure were handled by the board’s secretary.

    Shehu, a retiree and former Acting Director of Procurement at NIMASA, said the contracts he sent to Omatseye for approval were within the prescribed limit by law.

    “Based on the recommendations of the technical staff, I always endorsed the contracts because they fall within his (Omatseye’s) threshold,” he said.

    Testifying during cross-examination by Omatseye’s lawyer Olusina Sofola (SAN), the witness said a contract awarded for generator “was never executed”.

    “Money was never paid in respect of the generator. It was never executed during the tenure of the accused person,” he added.

    On award of contract for supply of Blackberry devices, Shehu said the NIMASA governing board approved it.

    “When I got to NIMASA, there was virtually nothing – no Parastatals Tenders’ Board. Procurements were done by the governing board.

    “The needs of departments are forwarded to the Director-General, who will request the department to write the board a memo.

    “Whenever there’s a board meeting, the memos will be collected by the Secretary of the board for presentation to the board.

    “Those contracts were then approved by the board. The contracts approved by the board will be sent to the Director-General by the board secretary as ‘extracts’. That was how the Blackberry contracts were processed,” Shehu said.

    The witness said sometimes board memos would be taken to the board chairman, who “gave anticipatory approvals.”

    “The function of contract awards was taken over by the secretary of the board,” Shehu said.

    The witness said Omatseye did not give him any directives as regards the award of the Blackberry contract, adding that the Information Technology (IT) department handled the processing.

    Shehu said following the intervention of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), a parastatals tenders’ board was set up at NIMASA “towards the end of 2010.”

    Shehu said to the best of his knowledge, the contract for the supply of Blackberry mobile devices followed due process.

    The contract, he said, was awarded to Anchor Offshore Services Limited.

    “There was no pre-arrangement that the Blackberry contract would be awarded to Anchor Offshore,” he said.

    During the examination-in-chief by EFCC’s lawyer Chief Godwin Obla (SAN), he said there were no parastatals tenders’ boards at NIMASA between September 2009 and April 2010.

    He also said Omatseye’s approved threshold was N2.5million for goods, and N5million for works.

    EFCC re-arraigned Omatseye before Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia on an amended 27-count charge for contract scam.

    He pleaded not guilty.

    His re-arraignment was due to the transfer of the former trial judge, Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako.

    The accused person was charged with alleged illegal transfer of the agency’s fund and contract splitting estimated at over N1.5 billion.

    Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia adjourned till January 20 next year for continuation of hearing.

  • Danjuma, others for awards

    Apan socio-cultural and political group, the Jukun Development Association (JDA), will celebrate former Chief of Staff Lieut-Gen. Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma and six others at its award of excellence.

    Danjuma, who will be going home with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the cause of the Jukun, would be decorated at the gala at the Taraba Liaison office on Victoria Island, Lagos, on Saturday.

    The JDA Chairman, Benjamin Bako, said the awards were part of activities lined up to mark the Jukun Day celebration.

    Bako said the association hoped to raise funds for the proposed JDA secretariat, which will house the national headquarters and an events centre.

    Also to be honoured are the Chairman, Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mathias Kefas Agbu, Dr. John K. Danjuma, A.A. Abu, D.H. Tukura, the late Terry Vyonku and Liet Col. Agbu D. Kefas (rtd).

     

  • NIMASA, Navy move to check piracy

    NIMASA, Navy move to check piracy

    THE Nigerian Maritime and Safety International Agency(NIMASA) and Navy are collaborating to check piracy against crude oil vessels, the Chief Executive Officer, MRS Holdings Limited, Amina Maina has said.

    Speaking with The Nation, she said the NIMASA/Navy Joint Task Force has helped in reducing the impact of pirates on oil shipment in recent times.

    She said oil marketers’ operations have improved, owing largely to the measures put in place to check diversion of oil vessels from Nigerian waters to other countries.

    She said: “In the past, there are issues of pirates blocking oil vessels bringing refined petroleum products to Nigeria.These generated ripples, pitching operators against some government agencies. But now, the issue has been put under control. The NIMASA/Navy activities on the waterways have yielded fruits, with industry operators focusing on their businesses well. I think with time, the activities of oil thief would put under control.’’

    According to her, the government and its agencies have shown the desire to improve security and normalise activities in the oil and gas industry.This, she said, is evident by random monitoring of areas perceived as security risks in the industry.”

  • Health care providers make case for quality services

    From left: Head of Department, Nautical Science, MAN Captain Ejikeme Okwu; Deputy Director and Head of Public Relations, NIMASA, Isichei Osamgbi; Chief Executive Officer, Ports and Ships, Bolaji Akinola; former President, Nigerian Association of Master Mariners Captain Adewale Ishola; and Director, Specialised Seafarers’ Training Centre, Captain Francis Kponu, at the event.

  • NIMASA asked to prioritise seafarers’ training

    A Mariner, Capt. Dennis Osah, has urged the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to give more attention to training of seafarers at the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) in Oron, Akwa Ibom.

    He said in Lagos that the academy should be the first institution to be considered by NIMASA for the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP).

    He said the academy deserved to be adequately equipped to train cadets to have sea-time experience and to acquire the needed international standards.

    Osah, who is the first President of the Nigerian Association of Master Mariners (NAMM), said: “All things being equal, the MAN should be at the heart of the development programme for the seafarers.’’

    The mariner commended the initiative of NIMASA in sending cadets abroad under the NSDP, but insisted that the MAN, Oron, must be given the needed attention by the government.

    He advised the Federal Government to resuscitate the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) and concession it to private operators.

  • Maritime varsity, ship-building yard coming

    Maritime varsity, ship-building yard coming

    The Federal Government is to establish a Maritime University at Okerenkoko in Delta State to enhance capacity building, Minister of Transport Senator Idris Umar said yesterday.

    Umar was speaking during the inauguration of three newly acquired security and enforcement boats and send-forth of 655 beneficiaries of the Seafarers’ Development Programme at the Nigerian Maritime Resource and Development Centre in Kirikiri, Lagos. He said the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) had established Institutes of Maritime Studies in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, University of Lagos, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida University in Lapai, Niger State and Niger Delta University in Bayelsa State.

    He said the Maritime Academy of Nigeria in Oron, Akwa Ibom State, had been strengthened with infrastructural and technical capacity to make it more responsive to human capacity development. Efforts, he said, were on to make the Academy a degree-awarding institution by affiliating it to the World Maritime University in Malmo, Sweden.

    Umar said the development of young and quality seafarers was a direct response to the dearth of seafarers globally and particularly in Nigeria. The 655 cadets, he said, would leave shortly for various maritime training institutions in Egypt, India, Philippines, Romania and the United Kingdom.

    He said the ministry and its parastatals had carried out various initiatives and reform programmes aimed at securing Nigerian waters against piracy and armed robbery.

    NIMASA Director-General Mr. Ziakede Akpobolokemi said last year 1500 cadet trainees were selected for training under the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) adding that the selection of the 655 cadets brings to 2505 the number of trainee cadets expected to undergo academic, technical and sea time training under the programme.

    He said that 15 state governments currently support the programme and urged others to show interest and support. NIMASA, he noted, believes that the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme in the nearest future will make Nigeria Africa’s hub for supply of skilled maritime human capital. He also said that government is planning to build a ship-building yard for practical and technical training for students of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, Akwa Ibom State.

  • Dredgers urge govt to enforce regulations

    Dredgers urge govt to enforce regulations

    Stakeholders in the dredging industry have urged the government to be committed to regulations enforcement.

    After a dredging summit in Lagos, they agreed on the actions that should be taken to make the industry a revenue earner.

    The summit agreed that a coastal impact assessment should be conducted before any development is allowed along the shoreline, adding that the government should enforce the regulation of the one-kilometre bar against dredging around bridge piers and other public infrastructure.

    It said there should be increased coastal surveillance to avoid illegal sand mining and other dangerous activities, such as dumping of toxic wastes.

    The government, the stakeholders said, should ensure the inclusion of maintenance dredging as part of public sector contract for capital dredging campaigns around the country, adding that public sector agencies should insist on the inclusion of sand search report in reclamation works to avoid conflicts and losses associated with such issues.

    There should be continuous training and re-training for dredging personnel, and a career growth structure and grading systems established as incentives for better performance, they added.

    The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Mr Nwabueze Calistus Obi, represented by the Head of Department, Maritime Labour Services, Mrs. Juliana Gunwa, stressed the importance of dredging to the maritime sector and the economy.

    She said: “Dredging is the act of removing sediments or mud from the bottom of the sea or river, canals and channels, among others, to make it wider or to provide the required depth of water, by mechanical or hydraulic techniques. Dredging is used for port developments all over the world and it enhances shipping routes and depth of water for vessels to avoid grounding and accidents.”

    She noted that dredging serves as a big employer of skilled and unskilled workers. It also boosts import and export trades, and is used to shorten navigational distances for ships, thereby saving cost and time for ship owners as in Panama Canal, Kiel Canal and Suez Canal, just to mention a few. Without dredging, this could have been very difficult to achieve, she added.

     

     

     

    Dredging is also used in the development of new mega cities, such as the Lagos Atlantic City, Dubai and other port-related towns and islands around the world. Dredgers control floods and ocean encroachment, pollution and erosion, she said, adding that with dredging it is possible to reclaim more valuable land mass for further economic development.