- NIMASA isn’t a revenue generating agency – former DG
A former Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Ade Dosunmu MON, has condemned the Federal Government’s plans to merge NIMASA with Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
Dosunmu’s disapproval was contained in a press release disseminated today, a development coming on the heels of the condemnation by the League of Maritime Editors and Publishers.
The former NIMASA Director General stressed that the planned merger exposes a misconception that the nation’s apex maritime regulatory agency is a revenue generating body.
His words: “My attention has been drawn to speculation purported to have emanated from the Presidential Policy Advisory group erroneously classifying the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) as a revenue generating Agency, thereby proposing a merger of NIMASA, CUSTOMS and FIRS. It is a very serious misconception and dangerous for the future of shipping/ Maritime industry in Nigeria.”
“NIMASA was created in 2007 following the merger of National Maritime Authority (NMA) and Joint Maritime Labour Industrial Council (JOMALIC) deriving its powers from Merchant Shipping Act, 2007, NIMASA Act, 2007 and Coastal and Inland shipping (cabotage) Act, 2003. The Agency, is a Maritime Safety Administration responsible for regulating shipping activities in Nigeria with a view to achieving safer shipping and cleaner oceans as mandated by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) through its various Conventions and Protocols.”
Dosunmu stressed that there are enabling Acts that give NIMASA statutory powers as specified by International Conventions and Protocols for the enthronement of global best practices in ensuring safety of navigation and prevention/ control of marine pollution in the shipping industry as regulated by the IMO, with Nigeria as a member state.
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“The IMO has 167 Maritime Nations as members including Nigeria due to our vast maritime coastline. It issues conventions and protocols which all members’ state assent to, regulating global shipping trade. Such Conventions as Marine Pollution Prevention (MARPOL), and its various annexures i.e. Discharging of oily waste, Noxious substances and dangerous goods, Discharging of sewage, Garbage including plastics, Air emission, etc.”
“Other Conventions are; London Protocol on Prohibition of Dumping of Waste in the Marine Environment, International Convention on Wreck Removal (Nairobi Convention), Training and Certification of Seafarer (STCW ’95), Safety of Life At Sea (SOLAS), Convention on Ship Recycling to Ensure Environmental Sound Practices (Hong Kong) Convention, to mention just a few. All these conventions have been domesticated in Nigeria and NIMASA is the focal agency for implementation of the conventions through the discharge of its technical mandate which cannot be performed by any other agency in Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, the League of Maritime Editors described the merger proposal as ill-conceived and misleading to the administration of Tinubu which should not be allowed to see the light of the day.
Describing the proposal as anti-people, the association added that those behind the idea failed to consider the obvious dire consequences associated with merger which include mass sack of employees in all the agencies involved.
In a statement signed by the President of the League, Chief Timothy Okorocha; Secretary, Mr Felix Kumuyi; and the Public Relations Officer, Mr Francis Ugwoke, the League argued that the Customs Service and NIMASA have different statutory roles to play as established by laws setting them up.
The group of veteran journalists pointed out that Customs is specifically for trade facilitation at different seaports, airports and border stations from where it collects accruing duties on such goods entering the country or being exported.
According to the statement, the only statutory obligation being performed by the Customs which is close to that of the FIRS is excise duty collection as tax, adding that this should not be seen as enough to call for the merger.
In the case of NIMASA, the statement said the agency was set up to regulate the maritime sector in terms of ships coming from different destinations and those operating locally and using her territorial waters.
Beyond this role, the statement said, NIMASA is known for such roles which include; indigenous shipping development, maritime safety administration; maritime labour regulation; marine pollution prevention and control; search and rescue; provision of direction and ensuring compliance with international conventions and protocols, among others.