Stories by Isaac Anumihe
More than two years after its new management came on board, Maritime Stakeholders at the weekend welcomed the move by the Federal Government to probe the operations Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) following various allegations against it.
The resolve to investigate the agency followed observed disparities in its remittances to the coffers of the Federal Government.
After the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja, the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, announced the Federal Government’s plan to probe the organisation, said to have that NIMASA remitted a paltry N4.95 billion in 2015, and N24 billion in 2916. She said that the disparity in the remittances in the past and now necessitated the decision to probe all previous heads of the agency.
Recall that NIMASA is one of the richest Federal Government agencies Considering that it collects three per cent tariff on turnover on ships calling Nigeria. It also collects charges from every indigenous ship-owner in Nigeria. This is beside the several charges on initial registration of ships, transfer of registry from one part to another; registering on sale of ship under certificate sale and registring as a result of alteration to ships.
Others include, granting of new certificate of registry in lieu of original being lost or destroyed; transfer or transmission of ownership in ship and transfer of deed of cessation. All these charges range between N120,000 and N160,000.
In Nigeria, all revenue-generating agencies are, by law, expected to utilise 75 per cent of their revenues and remit 25 per cent to the Federation Account. It is against this backdrop that most of these agencies fix their salaries and allowances. It is also the reason an average worker in such agencies receive 10 times salary higher than their counterparts in the ministries.
Because of the large amount of revenue available to them, the management of these agencies tend to be corrupt and mismanagement of resources is very common.
To this effect, politicians find such agencies a fertile ground to plant their cronies with a view to mopping up much funds for their future electoral campaigns.
NIMASA according to some commentators happens to be one of such fertile grounds.
The agency was established by the Shipping Policy Decree of May 11, 1987 with a mandate to ensure orderly development, protection and manpower training in the shipping industry.
But today, stakeholders argue it has abdicated all its mandates. For instance its manpower-training arm, Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) Oron, is poorly-funded. The teachers are poorly paid. The result is that the school lacks qualified teachers because no teacher that knows his onions will identify himself with a wretched institute when his counterparts out there are better treated. Infrastructure in the school is nothing to write home about. Till date, MAN, Oron is a home of confusion where nothing works. The quality of the products of the academy cannot be compared with graduates from Ghana or elsewhere.
According to the Special Adviser to the President General of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) on seafarers matters, Henry Odey, it is a shame that Nigeria is still producing half baked cadets due to lack of training vessels.
“Our cadets are half baked. When we had the Nigerian National Shipping Line, we had a training ship made for cadets and they would do their sea-time training. How do you think other countries will like to train your cadets for you so that you will compete with them?.
“You go to Philippines and you think they will train your cadets so that you compete with them? It is a shame because we are doing nothing to address this,” he said.
Also speaking, National Publicity Secretary, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Dr Kayode Farinto said that the plight of indigenous ship owners will continue because, NIMASA is being economical with the truth on the proceeds of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF).
“Our indigenous shipping will continue to die because we are not saying the truth. Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) takes care of empowering our indigenous ship-owners and assisting them with fund. What has happened to that fund which grown to over N100 billion over the years?” he asked.
On the protection of the shipping industry , the agency claims it has achieved 80 per cent of International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) code. Several years after it was established, Nigeria has not been certificated.
The International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code) is a comprehensive set of measures to enhance the security of ships and port facilities, developed in response to the perceived threats to ships and port facilities in the wake of the 9/11 in the United States of America.
The agency has not also performed creditably well in the provision of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS).
This is an international system which uses improved terrestrial and satellite technology and ship-board radio systems to alert on maritime distress. It ensures rapid alert shore-based rescue and communications authorities in the event of an emergency.
Stakeholders have also scored NIMASA low in the development of the industry. In the area of free navigation, the nation’s waterways are littered with wrecks which obstruct navigation and can cause maritime mishap.
While assessing the performance of NIMASA, the co-ordinator of Save Nigeria Freight Forwarders, Chief Osita Patrick Chukwu, harped on the plight of seafarers who graduated from MAN, Oron.
“They are not providing any opportunity for their sea-time. You can’t send somebody to school and there is no ship for him to practise their profession.
A lot of them that finished from school have no ship available to employ them.
How can NIMASA say that it is doing well when there is no vessel to absorb them? It is almost two years now and NIMASA has not acquired a new vessel for them. We in the industry need action” he requested.