A maritime lawyer, Mrs Jean Chiazor Anishere (SAN) has urged the House Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration to amend the Acts of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerians Shippers Council (NSC) and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) due to their relocation from the Ministry of Transportation to the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Addressing the House of Representatives Committee during an Orientation/Oversight visit at the weekend in Lagos, Mrs. Jean Chiazor Anishere explained that the current reality on ground is not reflected in the Acts of these maritime agencies.
According to the Nigerian Maritime Law Association (NMLA) member, “NIMASA, NPA, NSC, and NIWA need their Acts to be reviewed because they are all now under the new Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy but their Acts still says that they are still under the Ministry of Transportation.
“If an issue arises that questions the operations of these agencies, there will be a conflict of laws because the Acts of these agencies are saying something else while the current realities on ground are saying another thing. The Acts of these agencies are no longer in tandem with what is on ground.
“These maritime agencies are currently operating from the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, so this needs to be reflected in their Acts.
“Also, there is a draft of the Shipping and Transportation Law called the Transportation Policy which has passed both readings at the upper and lower chambers of the National Assembly and is waiting for Presidential assent.
“There is a need for the quick withdrawal of that Bill before Mr President accents to it. We need to ensure the Bill conforms with the current realities on ground in the Marine and Blue Economy ministry.”
Responding to the Act amendment plea, the Deputy Chairman, the House Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration, Hon Uduak Odudoh gave assurances that the Act amendment efforts of NIMASA and other agencies will be looked into.
The workshop had as its theme: “Harnessing the Nation’s Blue Economy, A Legislative Approach”
The Director General of NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh, during the event also took the lawmakers on a 90 minutes session on activities of NIMASA, its mandates, and achievements, informing the lawmakers that the agency would soon be submitting the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offenses Act (SPOMO Act 2019) for amendments.
Jamoh intimated the legislators on major efforts of NIMASA in maritime security which has led to Nigeria recording zero Piracy incidents in the past two years, as well as the activities of the agency on Maritime Safety and Seafarers Development.
