FG begins verification of ongoing NIMASA projects

The federal government under the Federal Ministry of Transport (FMOT) has constituted a committee to carry out verification of all projects currently being executed by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

In statement signed by Lami Tumaka, head, Public Relations of NIMASA, the committee, which has members drawn from the Federal Ministry of Transport, Federal Ministry of Works and the general service unit of NIMASA, is expected to carry out an evaluation of all project, currently being executed by NIMASA with a view to ascertaining the percentage of their completion in relation to funds already released for the projects.

Speaking at the constitution of the committee, Haruna Baba Jauro, the acting director general of NIMASA, said the evaluation has become necessary given the limited resources available to the agency which requires the prioritisation of projects execution in order to avoid abandonment.

“We need to set our priorities right as far as project execution is concerned by strategically executing projects even in a phased manner so as to avoid a situation where projects that should have been very beneficial to the development of the maritime industry are abandoned due to poor planning”, the DG said.

Jauro, who lauded the wisdom of the Transport Ministry in including officers from the Federal Ministries of Transport and Works to be members of the committee, said the development is to make sure that experts are involved in the process with a view to providing a report that will reflect the correct state of the projects.

The committee which has two weeks to carryout and conclude its assignment and report to the ministry, is expected to visit the project sites of the Nigeria Maritime University; NIMASA Shipyard and Dockyard; NIMASA Science and Technical College and permanent sites of the six Institutes of Maritime Studies in six Nigerian Universities amongst other projects.