By Stephen Ubanna
Ahead of the International Maritime Organization, IMO, a maritime agency of the United Nations, UN, where specialized decisions are taken for regulating, the global maritime industry elections into the Executive Council in 2025, is to take place, Nigeria, which had lost the election thrice, appears set to clinch the Category C, Seat, currently been occupied by the East African country of Kenya.
Other members of the Group spread across the global industry includes South Africa, Bhamas, Belgium, Chile, Cyprus, Demark, Egypt, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kuwait, Malaysia, Malta and Morocco. Also on the list of the IMO Category C, Seat since 2019, were Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey and.
Nigeria,
Nigeria, an important maritime nation in the African Continent with five major seaports used in the importation and exportation of cargoes , which no other African country could easily boast of may have lost the 2019 Council election because of the closure of the borders with the neighboring countries of Benin Republic, Niger and the Central African country of Cameroun. Beni Republic and Cameroun, are maritime nations and members of the IMO and may not have found the border closure funny .
Given the untold hardship brought about by the border closure on the citizenry of these neighbouring countries , may have informed why they have turned their back on Nigeria and threw their weight on Kenya .
The two African countries, may have seen the IMO Council election to pay back Nigeria in their own as they were said to penetrated the ranks of the Leadership of the 25 -member countries of the IMO within the West and the Central African subregions that share convergence under the aegis of Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa, MOWCA, with Headquarters in Abidjan, CotedIvoire to Campaign against Nigeria.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, may not have wanted to fall into the same mistake with former President Muhmmadu Buhari, by making enemies with Benin, Niger and Cameroun, orchestrated by the border closure in August 2018, as he had attended the 63rd Independence of Benin Republic on the invitation of Patrick Talon, the country’s President, on August 1, 2023.
The Nigerian President may have used the opportunity of the being at the Benin Republic 63rd, Independence anniversary to strengthen the country’s diplomatic and economic relations with the country . The improved relationship between the two West African countries, may have enhanced their bilateral trade in the recent, meaning that Benin, will work for Nigeria to achieve its ambition of becoming an elected IMO Council member in 2025.
The recent election of Abubakar Dantsoho, the incumbent Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, and member of the Inter-ministerial Committee as the Chairman of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa, PMACA, clearly shows that the 25 -member countries of the West and Central Africa subregions in IMO, will give their block vote to Nigeria, described as a vocal maritime nation in global maritime circles.
The NPA, Chief Executive Officer, CEO, was said to have told industry stakeholders that his election to oversee the affairs of PMAWCA, represents a significant milestone in the continued search for West and Central African Maritime states towards global competitiveness and delivery of world class services.
He was said to have told participants at the 44th annual PMAWCA Council meeting and the 19th roundtable of the Director Generals of the Association in Conakry, Capital of Guinea of the Nigerian Government commitment to a revolutionary turnaround of the country’s maritime industry. He had cited the port rehabilitation and modernization i programme of President Tinubu’s Administration including provision of basic infrastructure , digitization and automation of the nation’s seaports in line with what obtains in other maritime nations, across the globe.
Informed sources told The Value News that the NPA, CEO and other members of the Inter-ministerial Committee, have already started working on the MOWCA members of the IMO while the Dayo Mobereola, Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, and other members of the agency management team and the ministry officials are working on the international Community to ensure that Nigerian get the needed the support to win the election.
Meanwhile, Oyetola Adegboyega, a former governor of Osun state and now minister of the newly established marine and blue economy, who has the President’s ear has put on his political garb to succeed where Rotimi Amaeechi, a former governor of Rivers state and a -one-time minister of Transportation overseeing the nation’s maritime industry and Engr. Muazu Jaji Sambo, his Successor and Senator Bukola Saraki ,, the past minister of Transportation had failed.
As a prelude to ensuring that Nigeria will not fail the IMO Executive Council election this time around and being a listening minister may have officials of the ministry and CEOs, of the maritime agencies along in running of the affairs of the ministry and not see himself as an all-knowing minister.
He was said to have used his close working relationship in getting the Nigerian President to sign six IMO Instruments which former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan and the Katsina state born former President Buhari and late President Umaru Yar’Adua and Jackboot former Heads of states had failed to do despite ministerial and maritime agency officials’ advices as a way to put back Nigeria into reckoning in the global maritime sector may have shown Tinubu’s good intention for the sector.
The six IMO Laws that were said to have been signed by the Nigerian President to meet the expectations , of the UN, maritime agency leadership and technical Committee, includes the Instrument of Accession of Protocol of 2005 to the 1988 Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of the Continental Shelf,, the Instrument of Accession of the International Convention of Standards of Training, Certification and Watch -keeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel 1995, and the Instrument of Accession of the Protocol Relating to Intervention on the High Seas in Cases of Pollution by Substances other than oil Ol, 1973 as Amended, described in global maritime circles as the Intervention Protocol.
Other IMO Instruments that the former Osun state governor was said to have used his position to get the President to append his signature are the Instrument of Accession to the Protocol of 1996, the Instrument of Accession to the Protocol to the 1974 Athens Convention relating to the Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage by Sea, 2002, and the Instrument of Accession to the Hongkong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships ,2009.
The refusal of the Nigerian Government to sign the all- important IMO, Instruments of Accession may have informed why Nigeria has not really benefited from any of the Laws despite its Contravention in Nigerian waters by the foreign oceangoing vessels and Oil Tankers.
The signing of the six IMO Instruments of Accession may have emboldened the Nigerian minister of marine and blue economy to walk into the Organization’s Headquarters in London, United Kingdom, UK, described as the repository of these Conventions like other maritime nations which signed the Instruments to deposit three of the signed IMO documents, showing that the country is determined to grow the maritime industry.
This move, according to industry stakeholders is coming barely one month after the most populous West African country and maritime nation had declared its intention to contest election for the IMO Category C, Seat. Many believe that the depository of the three IMO, signed Conventions in the UK, head office is expected ‘’to enhance the nation’s maritime governance and further align its practices with international maritime standards, promoting maritime safety, security and environmental protection’’.
An insister confirmed that shortly after the presentation ceremonies at the busy IMO, Headquarters, the minister who could not ide his feelings was said to have informed Arsenio Dominguez, the Secretary General, of the Nigerian President’s Commitment’’ to ensuring that the country aligns with international maritime standards regarding maritime safety, security and sustainable marine practices’’.
He was said to have used the opportunity provided by the presentation of the three signed Instruments of Accession at the IMO Headquarters in UK, to call on the UN maritime agency ‘’to extend technical support to Nigeria’’.
The Osun state born minister of marine and blue economy who was to have made the IMO Secretary General and other top officials to understand that the signing of the six Instruments, by the Nigerian President and three of it already deposited at the London office was a clear indication of ‘’the country aligning with global maritime standards’’.
In an apparent response to the signing of the six of the six IMO Instruments of Accession by President Tinubu of Nigeria, may have informed why Dominguez, the IMO, Secretary General had Congratulated the Nigerian Government for doing so, urging it to continue in that same momentum by signing other Conventions that are still remaining to be signed by the country.
The minister may have extracted a promise from the IMO, Secretary General who had given his words that the Organization is fully ‘’committed to supporting Nigeria through technical cooperation and capacity -building initiatives to ensure the successful implementation of the Instruments of Accessions of Protocols.
An elated Oyetola, had said that the three other IMO Instruments which had already been signed by the President but yet to be handed over to the IMO Secretary General are currently undergoing further steps to complete to complete the processes for their deposit I the IMO, UK, office. Vintage Tinubu.
