The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, on Saturday explained that the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) was under pressure to generate revenue when the agency was set up to act as a regulatory body.
Amaechi said this in a statement issued by the transportation ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Eric Ojiekwe.
He added that the only government body that was equipped to generate revenue was the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), describing it as their “responsibility”.
The minister said, “People put NIMASA under pressure that they must make money; make money for what, NIMASA actually is a regulatory authority, not for them to go and look for money.
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“The people that should be making money and they must hear it now is the Nigeria Ports Authority. It is their responsibility to make money.
“NIMASA should therefore focus on being a regulatory authority on issues of safety and security of our waterways.”
Speaking on the country’s transportation sector, Amaechi highlighted the importance of transportation to the country’s economy.
He noted that for this reason, President Muhammadu Buhari placed the sector as “one of the topmost priorities”.
He said, “Transportation is essential to sustainable development as it enables access to employment, business, education, health services and social interactions.
“The prosperity and wellbeing of developing and developed world are inseparably linked to transport.
“As such, President Muhammadu Buhari has made issues relating to transportation, one of the topmost priorities of his administration.”
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