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Tag: Peterside

  • I’m not behind arrest of Wike’s commissioner – Peterside

    The Deputy Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Dr Dakuku Peterside, has stated that he is not behind the arrest of Rivers Commissioner for Education, Dr. Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja, and he never led security personnel to pick Gogo-Jaja.

    He also described as reckless and baseless, the insinuations that he was planning to disrupt today’s governorship and House of Assembly elections in Rivers state.

    Peterside, who is also the Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), stated this yesterday in an online statement by his media team.

    Governor Nyesom Wike’s education commissioner and his driver were arrested in Port Harcourt on Wednesday evening by troops of 6 Division, Nigerian Army, with incriminating items found on them.

    Gogo-Jaja, a former Majority Leader of Rivers House of Assembly, who hails from riverine Opobo, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area of Rivers state, was arrested with his driver in his residence at Government Reservation Area (GRA), Phase 3, Port Harcourt, paraded at 6 division on Thursday and handed over to Rivers Police Command for further investigation and possible prosecution.

    Peterside, also an indigene of Opobo, the ancient Kingdom of the great King Jaja, noted that it was ridiculous for him to be accused by enemies of progress of distributing fake army uniforms, arms and ammunition to thugs, allegedly with the aim of disrupting today’s polls in Rivers.

    He insisted that he had been mobilising Rivers people ahead of Saturday’s elections and that only irresponsible people could have concocted the lies.

    The APC chieftain said: “Rivers people know me as a peaceful person. I am proud of my heritage and Opobo/Nkoro LGA’s people love me, because of my antecedents.

    “Associating me with evil deeds is not only reckless; it is the handiwork of jobless people and a jittery pay master who is afraid of his own past misdeeds.

    “Despite belonging to different political leaning, Gogo-Jaja remains my brother and friend. I have no reason to hurt or harm him. I will never be part of such plot.

    “I have never been associated with violence and would never support such. I am a man of peace and decent engagement. Only those who have skeletons in their cupboards are now looking for whom to pull down.”

    The NIMASA chief also called on Rivers people to ignore the fake stories, declaring that he had no reason to cause mayhem, while reiterating that he had always won his home LGA.

    Peterside pleaded with Rivers people to be peaceful ahead of Saturday’s polls and cooperate with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies to ensure smooth elections.

    Besides the arrest of Gogo-Jaja and his driver, Rivers Commissioner for Urban Development and Physical Planning, Dr. Reason Onya, was also arrested during the presidential and National Assembly elections of February 23, while allegedly attempting to rig the polls.

    He was paraded at 6 division on February 26 and handed over to the police in Rivers.

    The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, Maj.-Gen. Jamil Sarham, on February 26, equally paraded the representative of Ahoada West constituency in Rivers House of Assembly, Nwanaka Okpokiri, also of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), for rigging February 23 elections in the state.

    Camp Commandant of Government House, Port Harcourt, Oyoku Ifelle, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP); Major Akpoge Peter Ubah of 6 division; and thirty one others, including policemen, thugs and ad hoc staff of INEC, including two women, were also paraded on February 26 and all handed over to the police.

    Rivers Commissioner for Information and Communications, Emma Okah, however, accused the Minister for Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and the GOC, 6 division, of masterminding the mass arrest of innocent Nigerians and prominent members of the PDP, which they denied outright.

  • Peterside seeks greater role for African women in Maritime

    The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside, has announced the Agency’s readiness to support initiatives aimed at getting more African women involved in the industry.

    He made this known while receiving the president of Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA), Ghana, Jemilat Mahamah, in his office, last week.

    “Globally, the focus in the maritime industry today is how to get more women involved in the sector, whether as seafarers, ship owners, etc. So every effort to encourage the participation of women in the sector is supported by NIMASA. You can count on our support,” Peterside said, adding that this year is dedicated by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), to empowering women in the maritime sector, specifically, shipping.

    He, therefore, assured WISTA of NIMASA’s support and by extension, Nigeria. “We believe and support everything that would give women a role in the maritime sector. There is no sector that would exclude 50 per cent of the population and expect that sector to thrive. If we exclude women, we are excluding 50 per cent of our population from benefitting in the economic activities in the maritime sector,” the NIMASA boss said.

    Earlier, the President of WISTA Ghana emphasised the place of the 45-year-old organisation in the maritime world. “We basically promote women in the shipping industry, and we mentor the young and coming ones,” Mahamah said of her organisation.  Mahamah thanked Nigeria for leading the way in the enactment of relevant Cabotage laws to enhance shipping activities in the continent.

    President, WISTA Nigeria, Mary Hamman, was among prominent Nigerian women maritime professionals that took part in the visit. The 6th WISTA Africa Region Conference in the Ghanaian capital will be opened by the country’s President Nana Akufo-Addo. It will be attended by IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim and Vice President of Liberia Joseph Boakai, among other prominent leaders and maritime industry experts from across Africa and beyond.

    WISTA got ‘Observer Status’ at IMO last year and has a membership of about 3, 500 women in the maritime industry from across over 40 countries.

  • Peterside: APC not planning mayhem in Rivers

    Deputy leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State Dr. Dakuku Peterside has said members of the party were not planning to unleash mayhem in the state.

    He was reacting to allegations by Director-General of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council, Desmond Akwawor, that APC was planning to cause mayhem and bloodbath during the elections.

    According to him, Akwawor had elevated lies to an act.

    Peterside, who spoke yesterday at the Port Harcourt International Airport, insisted that all allegations were what the PDP leaders planned to do. They were only crying to attract cheap sympathy, he added.

    He accused Governor Nyesom Wike of being the agent provocateur and harbinger of violenc.

    Peterside, who is the Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), blasted the PDP campaign council for involving his home local government area, Opobo/Nkoro, in the allegation of using money to induce electoral officials.

    He said: “I am proud to come from Opobo/Nkoro, and as a party stalwart, there was no time such scenario happened. We are a peace-loving people, and we will never be part of such plot.”

    Peterside also denied accusations that the APC was working with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Army and other security agencies, to subvert the people’s will.

    He said: “Anytime you see Wike and his party shouting, just know they have tried unsuccessfully to bribe security agents. This is the same old trick of Wike, but his threats will fail this time.

    “Before, during and after the 2015 elections, Rivers people knew what Wike did with Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu. APC leaders were arrested with reckless abandon and locked up till after the elections. So far, no such thing has hapened.

    “Like an uninvited gatecrasher, Wike has been working with his agents to frustrate APC’s genuine quest to be on the ballot in Rivers State.”

    The NIMASA DG called on security agents to remain alert and thwart every PDP effort to instigate violence and blame the APC.

    He dismissed PDP’s allegation that the Minister for Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, held a meeting with some people to rig the election. “Rivers people know the persons who are violent; the people know those who sponsored the thugs arrested in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni council last Friday. Rivers people know those who are desperate for power and will do anything to get it. Rivers people know their history.”

  • Maritime ’ll contribute 10% to GDP, says Peterside

    THE Federal Government, yesterday projected a 10 per cent growth in the maritime industry. This was contained in the 2019/2020 maritime forecast unveiled by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in Lagos.

    The forecast, the second in the series, tagged: Harnessing the maritime and shipping sector for sustainable growth, is aimed at giving direction to investors and stakeholders in the industry, in planning and investment decisions as part of efforts to attract more foreign direct investment to the economy.

    NIMASA Director-General, Dakuku Peterside, said this year’s forecast will address how emerging trends in the global maritime industry will affect the maritime sector as well as domestic factors that will influence it.

    “The maritime sector has the potential of contributing at least 10 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in no distant future, as Nigeria has the biggest market in Africa, generating between 65 and 67 per cent of cargo throughput in West Africa and 65 per cent of all cargo heading for these regions will most likely end up in the Nigerian market,” he said.

    According to the forecast, the outlook for the economy this year reflects, on the global side, concerns about a substantial global economic growth slowdown, likely higher U.S  interest rates, a stronger dollar and volatile oil prices possibly averaging below $60 per barrel, and domestically, the impact of sentiments surrounding the 2019 general elections and post-electoral transition.

    Peterside identified asset building/acquisition and human capacity development as two factors that would enable Nigerians play a major role in the maritime and shipping sector.

    He said shipping is capital intensive and the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) will not be adequate to address the huge demand for maritime asset, saying that was what propelled the Agency to seek other ship financing models.

    He said: “We have been engaging with government at the highest level to push for special intervention fund, special interest rate and other incentives that will drive optimal performance in the sector.

    “We shall not relent in our drive to put the right framework together to help beneficiaries and investors have good return on investment. The country is also making huge investments in human capacity development in the sector, which means that more Nigerians will get involved in shipping, especially, in shipping operations,” Peterside said.

    Peterside said government has made consistent effort to drive changes in the maritime and shipping sector through regulatory and infrastructural developments. He added that the main public bodies regulating the maritime and shipping sector had all keyed into the government’s strategies to reform the operating environment and improve on the country’s ease of doing business index, which has the potential of attracting more businesses to the maritime industry.

     

     

  • Don’t blame Amaechi over Rivers APC crisis – Peterside

    The Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and prominent chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has stated that the Minister for Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, should not be blamed for Rivers APC crisis.

    He assured that names of the candidates of the party in Rivers would be on the ballot for the February 16 and March 2 elections, in spite of the court cases.

    Peterside, the 2015 governorship candidate of the APC in Rivers, stated these yesterday at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, in an interactive session with reporters on his arrival from Lagos to attend the 80th birthday celebration of Sir Gabriel Toby, the father of Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, a former Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

    “It is not true that the Hon. Minister (Amaechi, a former Governor of Rivers State, who is the leader of APC in Rivers State and the South-South zone) is responsible for the crisis (in Rivers APC). I do not believe that this is the time for blame game. A lot of things happened and blame game will not help us in any way. So, even as the leader of the party, it is wrong for me to join in the blame game. Depending on where you are standing, people accuse different individuals of being responsible.

    “No man’s ambition should be superior to the collective interest of the party (APC) and Rivers people. Not mine, not anybody’s own. Nobody’s interest should be superior to the interest of the collective. So, I do not believe in the blame game. I do not support it. I will not embark on it. Rather, it is for all of us begin to engage with people. Let them see reason why we must all come to the table and agree on the best way forward and indeed work out a way forward, so that we will go and take over Government House, Port Harcourt from May 29, 2019 and begin to change the narratives in Rivers State.”

    “What has happened in Rivers APC is some sort of temporary setback. I am optimistic that APC’s candidates will be on the ballot. I am very, very optimistic. I know that the judiciary is an important component of the political process. You cannot talk about politics, without talking about the judiciary and the roles of the judiciary, but my confidence is that ultimately, this issue will be resolved and APC’s candidates will be on the ballot, they will run the elections and Rivers people will have options. They will choose the candidates of APC above the other political parties,” he said.

  • Peterside: Wike is a bad governor

    RIVERS State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015 Dr. Dakuku Peterside has described Governor Nyesom Wike as “a terribly bad governor”.

    Peterside, who is the director-general of Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), said the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, had been a pillar of support to him in the last 28 years.

    He spoke yesterday at his 48th birthday celebration, tagged: “90 Minutes of Praise and Worship”, which was organised by his friends.

    The event held at Lasien Pavilion Royale on Forces Avenue, old Government Reservation Area (GRA) in Port Harcourt.

    The exhortation was given by Dr. Chika Ossai-Ugbah, who took the text from Psalm 34, and urged everybody to embrace peace since God is the reason for our being alive.

    Peterside said: “In life, people have priorities. For me, after my service to God, the other thing that is important to me is my integrity. Nobody can say I have discussed bribe with him; I cannot compromise integrity. Not many Nigerians can say that.

    “The most important birthday gift that I am asking is that we give peace a chance in Rivers State APC. We have fought one another enough; this is the time to sheathe our swords; it is the time for peace. The Bible is clear that there is time for war and there is time for peace. We have had enough war; it is time to have peace in APC Rivers State.

    “Nyesom Wike is a terribly bad governor. If we do not do anything, we will be in the wilderness for another four years. So, I plead with my friends in APC in Rivers State, please, let us allow peace reign. No sacrifice is too great to make.

    “Nobody can deny the fact that in the Amaechi political family, I have the greatest block. Despite that, when the interest of everybody would have been in jeopardy, I sacrificed my interest for the collective interest. I do not know where the devil came from, but I believe God will intervene and give us peace.

    “We have always been one united family; I do not know where the crack came from, but I know God can heal wounds. He will heal the wounds in our land. He will heal our pains. He will give us peace and unity in Rivers State. He will give us unity in APC family in Rivers State.

    “Let us work for peace in APC family in Rivers State. President Muhammadu Buhari will get 70 per cent of the votes in Rivers State in February 2019 and if we are united, Wike will be history. If there is one birthday present I request, please let us work for peace in Rivers State. I want to enjoy peace in Rivers State. Politics is not about slashing one another’s throats.

    “God is a perfect God, at His time, He will do what only Him can do in your life. Nobody can stop the purpose of God for your life.”

    The NIMASA chief thanked God for keeping him alive, and thanked his friends, associates and well-wishers who came to honour him on his birthday.

    He said: “Every day, I appreciate what God has done in my life. I am a favoured child. It is God that has brought me thus far. I give all the glory to God.

    “I am sure you all know what Rotimi Amaechi has been to me in life. I first met him in 1990. In these 28 years, there was no week we did not speak, including when he was on self-exile in Ghana. If there is one person who has had tremendous impact in my life and shaped many things, it is Amaechi. It is clear that my history cannot be written, without reserving chapters for Amaechi and his family.

    “Many persons believed that giving the governorship ticket to Pastor Tonye Cole would affect my relationship with Amaechi, but it has not in any way shaken my relationship with him. Instead, it has solidified our relationship, which is not dependent on the office of the governor. If God wants me to be governor, I will be governor. If God says wait, I have no option but to wait.”

    The celebrator prayed that 2019 would be a better year for everybody, even as he wished APC candidates success in the elections.

    But Wike, through the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Emma Okah, said: “The comment by Peterside goes to no issue. Those in Rivets State do not take him serious. He lost his mind and has lived in bitterness since 2015 when he lost the governorship election to Governor Nyesom Wike.

    “If Wike is not a good governor, then who is better? It is on record that no governor has received more awards, both in Nigeria and abroad, than Wike. So Peterside’s judgment is best for the trash bin. It has no weight.”

  • Africa loses $40b to climate change, says Peterside

    Africa is losing about $40 billion yearly to the scourge of climate change, the Diretor General, Nigerian Maritime Administration Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has said.

    He told The Nation on the sideline of the Association of African Maritime Administration’s (AAMA) conference holding in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, said he aligned with the view expressed by the African Union Chairman and President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, that African leaders should adopt concrete measures to address and protect the rich African marine resource.

    He said the Federal Government is tackling the effect of climate change with all manner of measures and deploying resources to protect the nation’s economy and its people.

    He said African leaders saw into the future in 2014 when the AU adopted Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy, 2050, saying “the idea is to position maritime and particularly seaborne transportation as the nub, or force of driving development in the African continent.

    “The global desire to mobilise effort for sustainable development, again further drove African Heads of State  and Heads of Government at an extra-ordinary  session held in Lome, Togo in October 2016, to adopt a charter on maritime security, safety and development.

    Peterside said the adoption of the Lome charter provides a means for signatories to commit to specific actions to promote Africa and a sustainable blue economy. He said the revised African maritime transport charter of 2010 and the 2015 strategy give broadbased outlines of where African states should be heading. Also, the African Union agenda 2063 sees the marine economy as a major contributor to economic growth.

    “The plethora of national and institutional maritime strategies have continued to emerge as important building blocks for sustainable development of our maritime domain, saying all of these “underscore the need for maritime administrators in Africa to join efforts to protect our God given rich maritime resources and environment.

    The objective of every African maritime administrator is to aligned with the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO’s) objective of safe, secure and efficient shipping on clean oceans, “Peterside said.

    Also, Kagame, who was represented by the AU’s Permanent Representative at the League of Arab States, Bouzahar Abdel Hamid, urged African leaders to take advantage of its maritime resource to provide jobs for the youths, and as well grow the region’s economy.

    He said:”The African Union Commission places importance on the blue economy as an option for the development of the African economy. The blue economy has been described as the new frontline of Africa’s renaissance. It is for this reason the AU is working towards its being a catalyst of the growth of the African economy.

    “Moreover, by including maritime issues in the African agenda 2063, the AU Commission has made a commitment to ensure that the blue economy remains a pillar of the drive to ensure that the African continent achieves  its aspiration of sustained economic growth and development, Hamid said.

  • Peterside: Nigeria to become largest supplier of seafarers in Africa

    Nigeria is set to become the largest supplier of seafarers in the West and Central Africa, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Director-General Dr Dakuku Peterside said yesterday in Egypt.

    The country, he said, will achieve the feat in the next two years.

    Addressing delegates and stakeholders at the ongoing African Maritime Administrations (AAMA) conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, Peterside said the President Muhammadu Buhari administration through NIMASA is working tirelessly to ensure that Nigeria becomes one of the major supplier of seafarers globally.

    He said several billions of naira have been spent by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Transportation and NIMASA in the training of seafarers under the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP).

    Peterside, who is also the Chairman of AAMA, said NIMASA has sponsored the training of many young Nigerians to stop foreign seafarers from  dominating African and  Nigerian territorial waters.

    The NSDP initiative, he said, was conceived by the agency to bridge the gap observed in the dearth of seafarers in the country and to end foreign domination.

    “Over the past years, we can see that there is a growing trend on the global supply of seafarers, which consists of both officers and ratings available for internationally trading merchant fleet,” he said.

    Many young Nigerians, Peterside said, have been trained in various fields of maritime studies in Maritime Institutions in the United Kingdom, Egypt, Romania, India and the Philippines.

    Nigerians, Peterside said, have natural maritime instincts that place them at an advantage over  many other nationalities in the region.

    Foreign and local shipowners, he said, would prefer Nigerian seafarers for unquestionable important qualities like dedication and discipline, industry, flexibility, loyalty, English language fluency, adaptability, positive work attitude, law-abiding, and problem-solving capability.

  • Peterside urges African leaders to protect marine environment

    THE Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, yesterday urged African leaders and maritime administrators to protect the region’s rich marine environment.

    He said this would support sustainable development and growth.

    Addressing over 2,000 delegates and stakeholders at the opening ceremony of the Association of African Administrations (AAMA), in Sharma El Sheikh, Egypt, Peterside said there was need for African leaders to protect the continent’s rich maritime resources and environment and ensure that the region adapted to global standard for safe, secure, clean and efficient maritime transport.

    The theme of the conference is: “Protecting the African Marine Environment to Support Sustainable Development”. It was unanimously adopted by 193-member states of the United Nations in 2015.

    Peterside, who is also the chairman of AAMA, said there was need for maritime administrators across the region to ensure that marine environment was legally protected in order to conserve important marine habitats, such as fish, shrimps, spawning, nursery, feeding, breeding and aggregation sites that were vital for population of many sea creatures.

  • Illegal fishing: Peterside vows to protect waterways

    The Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside, has vowed to protect the nation’s territorial waters against pollution and illegal fishing.

    Findings revealed that the rate of polluting the territorial waters, illegal fishing and dumping of hazardous wastes has reduced drastically, based on the new measures put in place by the NIMASA helmsman.

    A member of the Fishery Society of Nigeria (FISON), Alfred Adegoroye, said NIMASA was  working with foreign partners to develop the capacity in tackling the crisis caused by pollution, hazardous waste dumping and illegal fishing

    Adegoroye said the dumping of toxic waste in the maritime domain and the increasing crimes on the coastline were attracting the required attention and commitment on the side of the Federal Government and NIMASA in providing capability and cooperation with foreign partners to build the nation’s maritime capability.

    Adegoroye pointed out that NIMASA and other security experts around the Horn of Africa have developed theories over the increasing hazardous wastes dumping and piracy

    He said Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand had set the stage for cooperation between states, both in information exchange and mobilisation of resources.

    Another member of the group, Mrs Lola Bilesanmi, observed that the insecurity in Africa’s waterways had forced insurers to hike rates for ships passing through the region.

    Specifically, coastal and inland states had seen their vital trade links threatened by pirates, a situation that led to rising costs that their populations must bear.

    “As at now, there are no clear answers as to the best ways to ensure maritime security, nor are there clear answers as to what percentage of resources nations should allocate to maritime security to best facilitate the goal of furthering development, but we need to give Kudos to NIMASA for its current initiatives,’’ she said.

    Since piracy is not the only threat to maritime security, another member, Mr Sesan Olanipekun, advised the government to adopt best practices that can be implemented to boost the current efforts of NIMASA.