Regional maritime security paramount to Nigeria’s economic devt – Peterside

Dakuku Peterside, the director general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has said that the agency is taking the lead in tackling issues around maritime security in West and Central African sub-region, due to its negative impact on Nigerian economy.

Peterside, who described security in the Nigerian Maritime domain as work in progress, called all stakeholders to ensure optimum safety of all investments in the sector.

Speaking in Lagos at the weekend, Peterside stated that a lot of factors especially safe shipping, contributes to the cost of products coming into the country through the seas, thus the need to tackle insecurity in the waterways.

“We must ensure the security of the Gulf of Guinea because Nigeria is not isolated from whatever happens in the region which may lead to negative economic impact, or increase in the cost of insurance premium and ultimately lead to high cost of goods and services for consumers,” he said.

Stating that 65 percent of cargo heading to the region ends up in Nigeria, Peterside, said that NIMASA is implementing international regulatory instruments in collaboration with various countries in the region to checkmate criminal activities.

“No maritime crime occurs within a jurisdiction. Often, maritime crime starts from one jurisdiction and ends in another. The only way we can tackle maritime crime is for all of us to work together. We have several regional initiatives for tackling maritime crime including ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy; Africa Integrated Maritime Strategy; Gulf of Guinea Commission,” he added.

He further said that NIMASA has been collaborating with other agencies leading to the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding between NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy and other parastals.

AMAKA ANAGOR