Maritime: Hopes Of Nigeria Securing A Seat In IMO Category C Council, Brightens, Commences Work On  Identified Grey Areas In The Industry

By Stehen Ubanna

In spite of the fact that begitween 2011 and now, the Nigerian Government, through the Nigerian Maritime Administration an Safety Agency, NIMASA, have been struggling to rejoin the International Maritime Organisation, IMO, a Maritime agency of the United Nations, Oyetola Adegboyega, a former governor of Osun state and now minister of Marine and Blue Economy, appears, appears determined to make the difference this time around.

The closest attempt the country was said to have made to rejoin the 20 member group was in 2021 but lost out to the East African country of Kenya.  Nigeria was said to have come a distant 22nd among the 27   countries that had contested under the Council.

At present , the  countries that was said to have make   up the UN, maritime agency includes Bahamas, Belgium, Chile, Cyprus,  Denmark, Indonesia,  Jamaica,  Malaysia, Malta,  Mexico,  Philippines,  Qata, Saudi Arabia,  Singapore,  Thailand,  Turkey, and Vanuatu. Other members of the IMO Category C, council, are the African countries of Morocco, Egypt and Kenya.

 Nigeria may have lost the bid to secure a Seat in the IMO, Category C, council in 2021, because of   some alleged maritime issues, which industry stakeholders had said are currently being fixed.

The former Osun state governor has every reason to beat his chest that Nigeria will secure a Seat in the IMO council, this time around that it has shown interest to contest.  This is because the country has been able to address the insecurity challenges in Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea forcing pirates a operating with impunity in the region to attack ocean going vessels laden within Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea international waters, to relocate to other regions to carry out their nefarious activities.

As a prelude to ensuring that Nigeria, a major maritime nation in the African Continent,  secure a Seat in the IMO Category C, council,  the Nigerian Marine and Blue Economy, minister was said to have thrown his weight behind Dayo Mobereola, led NIMASA, to intensify the marketing of Nigerian Candidacy for the position  .

Adegboyega, minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mobereola, DG, NIMASA, and other delegates at the World Maritime Day, parallel event in Spain

The minister, who was said to have repeatedly  expressed  Nigeria’s interest  to seek  election  into IMO  Category C, council,  may have thrown a big challenge to Mobereola, Director General,    NIMASA and his management team to tidy up the lose ends in the in the nation’s maritime industry  to win the  heart of the international Community.  

The minister may have taken advantage of World Maritime Day parallel event in Barcelona, Spain, to  open up  about Nigeria’s intention to contest the IMO Category C, council Seat and seeking for international support.

He was said to have made the participants at the World Maritime parallel event in the European country of Spain to understand that Nigerian, under the present Leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,   had put  in place the basic  infrastructural facilities ‘’ to develop the  industry  in line with recognized  global best practices’’. 

The minister, who could not his feelings had said that the country’s active participation, in following the provisions of key IMO Conventions such as the Safety of Life at Sea, SOLAS, and the International Ship and Port Facility Security, ISPS, Codes,   clearly shows the country’s dedication ‘’to ensuring the safety of international shipping in Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea region.

Recall that the southern eastern ports of Onne, Rivers  port in PortHarcourt, Delta port, Warri and Calabar port in Cross river state  had over the years witnessed  unmitigated  doldrums  in their operations and  cargo throughput, but the situation appears to have changed for the better in the recent time.

 Bashir Jamoh, the immediate, past Director General of NIMASA, may have set the stage to make the maritime domain and Gulf of Guinea region safe which   Mobereola, his successor in office is currently doing.

There is no gain saying the fact that in the past, maritime crimes committed across the faces   of the nation’s maritime domain, particular, included port paper work, port operation and obstruction during sea voyages,   and information transmission from port of origin to the destination ports and cyber crimes

Given the strategic security measures that been put in place by NIMASA, in collaboration with the Nigeria Navy, over the last three years under the close watch of Vice Admiral, Emmanuel Ogalla, here are indications that pirates and sea robbers including kidnappers who could no longer muster the muscle to attack ocean going vessels in Nigerian waters or the Gulf of Guinea have gone underground to avoid playing into the hands of Nigerian Naval personnel patrolling the international waters.

This because Nigeria, which is a signatory   to the Gulf of Guinea omission , GGCC,  which also includes Angola, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea,  Sao Tome and Prencipe, , Cote d’Ivoire,  Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Togo, and Sierra Leone, have effectively provided  total security in the region international waters.

 The member countries of the, of the Gulf of Guinea Commission,  GGC,  were said to have  established  mutual confidence  and enthronement of peace and security   accross the region  which may have encouraged Nigeria ,  to fully deploy North American country of the United States, US, $195 million maritime  security assets made uo of  16 Armoured Vehicles,  17 Interception boats  for coastal patrol,  Two Special Mission Vessels,  Two Special Mission, aircrafts,   for Surveillance of Nigerian  Exclusive Economic Zone, EEZ, three Helicopters and four Unmanned Aerial  Vehicles,  for operations    to guarantee  peace  and security  in the Gulf of Guinea  region.

Determined to ensure that Nigeria secure a Seat in the IMO Category C, council, this time around may have informed why the forme Osun state governor and his entourage had met the IMO, technical team, in Spain, where he was said to have told them that’’ the country have commenced work on all identified   grey areas in the nation’s maritime domain to fill the gaps that had been identified   during the last Audit by the agency.

 He was said to have also told the IMO, technical team, that’’ the country have commenced   the process   of effective Communication with other member states of the GGC, using the international maritime agency  GIS platform, , among others.

Participants at World Maritime Day Parallel event in Spain

Mobereola, the NIMASA, boss, was said to have told the IMO, team, that  NIMASA, will focus   on the technical  aspects of  the preparations for the elections, to be  guided by the supervisory ministry that would  provide the political  will that would facilitate  Nigeria’s election  back to the IMO Category C council.

 Putting on his garb as a politician, the Nigerian minister of Marine and Blue Economy, who was said to have been accompanied by the Chief Executives Officers, CEO, of the agencies under his ministry, including one   Babatunde Bombata, Director of Maritime Safety and Security Services were said to have held an engagement sessions   with Arsenio Dominguez, the IMO, Secretary General   and other Diplomats of at the global parallel maritime event in Spain.

 Taking advantage of his privileged position to speak out, Osagie Edward, an Assistant Director and the NIMASA, spokesperson had said that the theme for this year’s, World Maritime Day parallel event in Spain   was:  Navigating the Future: Safety First.

 The  event, according to him had  brought together World maritime Leaders  and  experts who were said to have   ‘’discussed the future  challenges  and opportunities  in the industry  aimed at ensuring  that safety is prioritized in the operations of  the sector.  

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