By Stephen Ubanna
The death of Ferdinand Agu, an Anambra state born Architect, Politician, and former Director General of Nigerian Maritime Authority, NMA, now baptized Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, appears to have hit the nation’s maritime sector like a thunderbolt.
Dayo Mobereola , the incumbent NIMASA, Director General, had expected to benefit immensely from the wealth of experience of the former Maritime Regulatory agency Chief Executive Officer, CEO, but his death could not allow him do so as the agency has been thrown into mourning. Describing the death of the Agu, as a big blow to the nation’s maritime industry, Mobereola, who could not hide his feelings had acknowledged his contributions and influence in the sector between 2000 and 2024.
The NIMASA, Director General, had said that the late Architect Agu’s achievements in the defunct Nigerian Maritime Authority , NMA, which had been baptized NIMASA, with the merger with the Joint Maritime Labour Industrial Council, a parastatal of the Federal ministry of Transport on August 1, 2006, by former President Olusegun Obasanjo .
The newly created agency which late Agu, could not administer before he was kicked out in 2005, by the Ogun state former Nigerian President had been mandated to pursue the development of shipping and regulate matters relating to merchant shipping and seafarers, administering the registration and Licensing of ships, regulate and certification of seafarers, establish maritime training and safety standards, and regulate the safety of ships as regards the construction of ships and Navigation.
The newly created NIMAA was said to have also been given other responsibilities described as encompassing which includes too provide search and rescue services, provide directions and ensure compliance with security measures and carry out air and coastal surveillances.
This is in addition to control and prevent maritime pollution, provide direction on qualification , cerTification , employment and welfare of maritime Labour, develop maritime policies and programmes that will facilitate the growth of the country’s capacity in ownership, manning and construction of ships and other maritime infrastructure. More importantly was for the new agency to receive and remove ship wrecks.
Notwithstanding, Mobereola, the new Director General of NIMASA, who had paid a visit to late Agu’s family had described ‘’the deceased as a man who left indelible marks in the nation’s maritime space while serving as the Director General of NMA and continued to selflessly contribute when called upon long after he left office’’.
He was emphatic that his achievements as the former helmsman of the defunct NMA, had contributed ‘’to the success story of NIMASA, in many invaluable ways’’. He had alluded to the fact under the Leadership of the former defunct NMA, boss, now deceased , Nigeria was included in the International Maritime Organisation, IMO, a maritime agency of the United Nations, UN, , white list of countries compliant with the Standards of Training , Certification and Watch keeping, STCW’’.
He was said to have also eulogized him for conceptualizing and commencing the construction of the Nigerian Maritime Development Centre in Kirikiri, Lagos, the nation’s commercial nerve center and which at present’’ serves many strategic and critical purposes in advancing the agency mandate’’.
Recall that the NIMASA , Director General during a visit to the family had declared that Late Agu deserves great recognition for the facility that houses the Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre and other relevant departments and units of the agency.
Although, the Cabotage Finance Fund, CVFF, had been established by former President Obasanjo in 2003, when late Agu , was still in office as the CEO, of NMA, which functions had been collapsed into NIMASA, to offer financial assistance , create access to funding by financial institutions with the sole aim of creating indigenous shipping.
Until he left office in 2005, not much was heard about the CVFF, which Adegboyega Oyetola, a former governor of Osun state and now minister of marine and blue economy, had said had reached $700 over million collected from the 2% surcharge on carriage contracts performed by vessels engaged in domestic or coastal shipping in Nigeria.
Many believe that if the late Agu, had laid the foundation for the disbursement of the CVFF, as the then CEO, of NMA, before he left office in 2005, and subsequent merger with the Joint Labour Industrial Council, in August 1, 2006, it would have been counted as one of his achievements in office.
Given the laudable contributions of the former defunct NMA, boss, may have given Mobereola and his Management team the ammunition to have concluded arrangement to participate in his burial which the family had said will begin on July 23, in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and will be concluded with an outing service on August 4, 2023.
In a related development, Nigeria is now set ‘’to join other maritime nations across the global economy in celebrating the day of the Seafarer 2024. Oyetola, the minister of marine and blue economy, and Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, minister of state, Labour and Employment, who will be leading the dignitaries including Mobereola, the Director General, NIMASA, Katie Higginbottom, Head, ITF, Seafarers Trust Fund, and other invited dignitaries to the commemoration scheduled to take place in Lagos had said that all arrangements had been put I place for the event.
An elated Mobereola, had urged Nigerians ‘’to participate fully in this year’s seafarers celebrations’’, adding that ‘’the use of Safety tips at sea on all social media platforms will ensure adequate exposure to the nation’s celebration of the seafarers day in line with the Theme of the IMO.
According to him ‘’Seafarers are the unsung heroes of the global economy’’, and further describing them as as ‘’the live-blood of international trade as they sacrifice a lot for humanity existence as they leave their families for months for our sake’’.
Let us celebrate their resilience, dedication and invaluable role they play in the world economy’’, he remarked. Appealing to Nigerians to use the Hashtag Safety Tips at Sea, for all their social media, he stated that ‘’it is the only that the country’s seafarers will feel appreciated’’.
Osadie Edward, an Assistant Director and the agency spokesperson who had described the seafarers 2024 commemoration as another way of bringing to the fore the importance of the seafarers had said that ‘’they are essential workers which may have informed why the IMO has set the date specifically for the celebration of these special occupations.
Given an inside information, the NIMASA, spokesperson, disclosed that this year’s Theme of the seafarers day ‘’aligns with the agency drive ‘’to protect Nigerian seafarers and create more opportunities for those willing to take a career in seafaring’’.
