CJN Lauds NIMASA Boss For Recording Notable Improvement In Maritime Security, Safety
L-R: Hon Justice Mohammed Lawan Shuaibu JCA, Executive Director, Finance and Administration (NIMASA). Hon. Chudi Offodille Representing the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency. Hon Justice Musa Datti Muhammad CFR, JSC, Prof. DG Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS)Prof. Muhammed Tawfiq Lawan. Administrator of National Judicial Institution (NJI) Hon. Justice Salisu Garba and Rear Admiral Barabutemegha Jason Gbassa at the Nigerian Admiralty Law Colloquium in Lagos…recently
By Eseoghene Laba
LAGOS MAY 11TH (NEWSRANGERS)-The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and Chairman, Board of Governors of the National Judicial Institute, Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, GCON has commended Director-General of Nigeria Maritime Administration and safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh for his grit and determination in ensuring that the Agency fulfils its mandate.
The CJN who was represented at the event by Hon. Justice Musa Dattjo Muhammad, CFR made the commendation while declaring the 3rd edition of the Nigerian Admiralty Law Colloquium for Justices of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal and Judges of the Federal High Court, Open in Lagos on Wednesday.
He observed that under Jamoh, the Agency had recorded notable improvements in maritime security and safety, especially through effective implementation of the Deep Blue Project which has, among other things, led to the impressive decline in piracy and armed robbery on the sea.
According to the CJN, the legal strategies being adopted by Nigeria to combat maritime piracy and armed robbery in the Nigerian waters have not gone unnoticed, adding that this is evident in the creation of Nigeria’s Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Act (SPOMO) 2019. According to the CJN, before the advent of the 2019 Anti-Piracy Act, there were no specific laws to determine the context of piracy in Nigerian waters and legal enforcement in response to maritime insecurity.
“Thus, the 2019 Anti-Piracy Act is an important step in securing the country’s coastline and seas. It has also ensured an increased level of transparency and accountability in the maritime sector, by strengthening the governing institutions to attract investment capital through implementation of regulatory and fiscal framework for the Nigerian maritime industry.
“This will encourage foreign investors to have a sense of trust in the Nigerian Maritime industry, which will enhance revenue for the government while ensuring a fair return on investment,”the CJN said.
In his remarks, the Chief Justice of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Hon. Justice John T. Tsoho commended the Management of NIMASA for its roles in enhancing the development of maritime law and its knowledge.
Tsoho who was represented by Honourable Justice Adekunle Olayinka Faji, noted that since the Federal High Court was the court with primary jurisdiction in maritime matters, the Federal High Court would always support relevant legislations that would ensure efficiency and effectiveness in harnessing the gains in the maritime industry.
“The price of peace and freedom is vigilance. If we are to harness the gains of a secured maritime domain, we must continue to build capacity and fine-tune our laws. It is in this connection that I must state that work has been concluded on the new Admiralty Jurisdiction Procedure Rules and the text has been sent for gazetting. It is thus only a matter of days before the new Rules will come into force. The Nigerian Maritime Law Association (NMLA) is also at work on the new Admiralty Jurisdiction Act. All these legislative efforts are geared towards enhancing the potential of our country in the Deep Blue Project and the overall growth of our economy”, he said.
In his opening remarks, the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, observed that it was gratifying to note, that the Admiralty Workshop had moved so rapidly that so soon, after a dark period when all discourse centered around insecurity and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, NIMASA and all stakeholders in the maritime industry were today sufficiently emboldened to move the trend of engagement to another level, as the maritime industry gave consideration to the vital issue of harnessing the gains of a secured maritime domain.
Speaking further, Jamoh, who was represented by the NIMASA’s Executive Director of Finance and Administration, Hon. Chudi Offodile, stated that a well-developed blue economy would be strong enough to service Nigeria’s annual budget, because it encompasses all economic activities associated with the oceans and seas. However, he observed that despite these endowments and abundant resources in the nation’s oceans and seas to back her economic diversification and development drive, Nigeria was yet to take full advantage of the emergent ocean economy to expand its revenue base.
According to him, “Since the concept of the blue economy began to gain traction decades ago, maritime nations have been harnessing the full benefits of the ocean economy by protecting their oceans and seas, which is why NIMASA is working tirelessly to secure our waters and the Gulf of Guinea. The time has come for us as a nation to build on the successful achievement of security in the Gulf of Guinea and work intentionally to harness the profitability of our maritime space”.
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Posted by News Rangers
on May 11 2023. Filed under Business, National.
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