By Stephen Ubaana
When Adegboyega Oyetola, a former governor of Osun state and minister of marine and blue economy, set up the inter-ministerial Committee to under the Leadership of Dayo Mobereola, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, in 2024, to take the campaign for Nigeria’s election into the into the November/December, 2025, International Maritime Organization, IMO, Category C, Seat, they were said to have taken it seriously.
The NIMASA Director General and other members of the Committee including the former Osun state governor were said to have taken advantage of any international forum, both within and outside the African Continent to solicit for support from African member countries of the IMO.
The Committee members were said to have taken advantage of the existing Bilateral relationship between the Nigerian Government and most of these African countries in the areas of trade and investment, particular, to reach out to many countries in the West and Central African countries including some African countries.
Given that most of these African countries never supported Nigeria’s bid for the IMO Category C, Seat, may have informed why the country had lost the IMO Seat, three times between 2011 to 2019. Minister Oyetola, may have wanted history to repeat itself that that he had Mobereola led inter-ministerial Committee all the necessary to break into the unfriendly countries in the past and the promises were said to have been very accouraging.
Perhaps, one country, which support had remained unshaken was Tanzania, which currently has Samia Suluhu Hassan, a woman, as its President.

Rukia Shante, Vice Chairman of the Tanzania Shipping Agencies Corporation, TASAC, may have taken advantage of her recent working visit with her entourage to NIMASA, Corporate Head office in Lagos, the Nation’s Commercial nerve center, to announce the East African country’s support for Nigeria’s bid for the IMO Category C, Seat, which election has been scheduled between November and December 2025.
There have been several other African countries which had thrown their weight behind Nigeria’s bid to for the IMO Category C, Seat in the upcoming 2025, election in London, United Kingdom, UK. Given Nigeria’s expose in Maritime activities may have informed why the TASAC Vice Chairman, had used the opportunity provided the visit to deepen cooperation in knowledge share information in the areas of Flag and Port State Control, Seafarer Development and Certification, Cabotage Regime implementation Maritime Security and digital transformation of of shipping processes with the NIMASA, Authorities.
She was said to have applauded the Nigerian maritime agency regulatory reforms and technical progress, as obtained in other maritime nations like UK, Asian country countries of China, India, South Kora and the Nort American country of the United States in the areas of maritime security and Seafarers development as well as giving financial support to the nation’s indigenous shipowners to acquire ocean going vessels to compete with the foreign shipping lines which currently dominate the domestic trade and lifting of the country’s Crude oil to the international oil market and offshore refineries.
In his opening remarks, Mohammed Salumu, who incidentally was the Director General of TASAC, but represented by Lecticia Mutaki, rector of Maritime Safety, Security and Environmental Protection, who was said to have dedicated the country’s intention to throw its weight behind Nigeria, described as the Leading African maritime nation, was basically to give a voice to the Continent in global maritime discussions and policy formulations.
‘’We believe that Nigeria’s election into the IO council is vital for the East African subregion and the African Continent in general’’, she had said. The TASAC, top official was said to have sounded loud and clear ‘’Tanzania will continue to support Nigeria’ ambition’’.
She had alluded to the Deep Blue Project, coordinated by the agency, which had kicked out Pirates and sea robbers from Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea region, describing it as ‘’pressive ‘’.
She was said have given kudos to the agency over’’ its investment in human capacity development’’. The TASAC, Director General, may have gladdened the heart of the NIMASA officials when he disclosed that Tanzania is keen ‘’to learn from Nigerian systems, particular, in the areas of Certification, Flag and Port State Inspections and seafarer welfare’’.
He was emphatic that the presence of TASAC, top officials, ‘’reflects the strong and growing cooperation between the two African countries Maritime Administrations and shared commitment to advancing maritime safety, security and environmental stewardship across the African Continent.
An elated Salumu, the TASAC, Chief Executive Officer, CEO, who could hide s feelings had said that the visit to Nigeria to rub minds with the NIMASA officials, represents a valuable opportunity for the two maritime agencies from the Est and West African subregions ‘’to share expertise, best practices, and innovative solutions to common maritime challenges’’.
We are not only here to learn from NIMASA and share what we have achieved in maritime operations but also for the agency officials to also learn from TSAC’’.
Describing it as a mutually beneficial relationship, Mobereola, the NIMASA, helmsman, that the relationship would ‘’serve as a foundation for a strategic long-term collaboration between Nigeria and Tanzania’’. He had broken the news to the TASAC officials that Oyetola, the Nigerian minister of marine and blue economy had endorsed the collaboration between the two maritime administrations.