The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administrative and Safety Agency, Dr. Dakuku Peterside has said its 2016 budget will target strategic growth in human and infrastructural capacity, maritime safety and security, among others.
Speaking to the House of Representatives Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration in Abuja, Peterside said “The agency targets strategic growth in five key areas in the year 2016, including maritime safety and security; maintenance of a clean maritime environment and enhanced port state control.”
He said the agency planned to tap into the vast potential of the Nigerian maritime industry by growing indigenous capacity with a view to making Nigeria a hub for maritime activities in the West and Central African sub region.
He added that “NIMASA’s management is committed to ensuring transparency, accountability and probity in the discharge of its mandate. There would be zero tolerance for corruption.”
Mr. Mohammmed Bago, the Chairman of the committee, charged the DG to utilize all the resources at his disposal to restore safety to the Nigerian maritime sector and also revamp the image of the agency, which he argued had been badly damaged in the last few years.
Bago, however, assured the agency of the Committee’s support and cooperation for NIMASA’s programmes in 2016, maintaining that the committee would oversee the implementation of the budget thoroughly.
