By Stephen Ubanna
The battle for which countries in the African Continent emerges as member of for the International Maritime Organisation, IMO, Category C, Council, reserved for 20 countries not elected in Categories A and B, has intensified in Portugal. Note that Nigeria, which had served in the Council for five Consecutive times had lost to Kenya, in 2019, due to high level of International Politics during the election. The International Maritime nations were said to have ganged up against which have established Maritime Administration in the African Continent , much ahead of South Africa, Egypt and other Maritime nations in the Continent.
This time around, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety agenc, under the close watch of Bashir Jamoh, appears determined not allow what happened in 2019 to repeat its in 2021. Ahead of the December the United Nations, UN, Maritime agency, Jamoh, the NIMASA , Director General, who has done so well in making the Nigerian waters safe for ocean –going vessels that it has become very difficult for the Pirates and sea thieves to Launch any attack on cargo vessels or oil Tankers. Even the Leadership of the IMO, have acknowledged the efforts of the agency in this regard.
The International Maritime Bureau, IMB, a Specialised Maritime Department o the International Chamber of Commerce fighting Piracy and other related sea crime as well as being involved in protecting ocean-going vessels and kidnap of seafarers, had acknowledged in its recent report that that there have been a significant drop in Piracy and sea robbery in the Nigerian maritime domain. The ICC, specialized International Department, may have put Nigeria , on the on the mind of other maritime nations when it reported that between January and September, 2021, there was a 77% decrease , which should gladden the heart of the Foreign ship owners who play key role in influencing the IMO elections in setting members of the Category C, council.
The IMB had confirmed that in the first nine months of this year, there were only four recorded Piracy and sea robbery incident in Nigerian waters compared to the 17 in 2020, and 41 in 2018. The agency had said that Jamoh led NIMASA, had replicated what had been done to contain the activities of the Pirates and sea rbbery in Nigerian waters in the notorious Gulf of Guinea where such Criminal activities had dropped by 39. This may have informed why Industry stakeholders are optimistic that nothing would stop Nigeria from being reinstated into the IMO Category C, in the December election in London, United Kingdom.
Jamoh, the NIMASA, Director, who has never lost any opportunity in an Internal For a, to drum the support of the International Maritime Community, to vote for Nigeria into the IMO Category C, Council. At a recent Seminar of the Atlantic Centre in Lisbon, Capital of Portugal, the NIMASA, ChiefExcutive Officer who could not hide his feelings had sought the support of friendly maritime nations the Council elections that comes up in December , 2021.
He was said to have had a one-on-one discussion with some of them. ‘’We ask for our vote and count on your continued confidence in the efforts of Nigeria to work in partnership with other countries in the Gulf Guinea to continue keeping the nation’s corridor of the Atlantic Ocean a safe passage for ocean-going vessels and their Crew members and the vital cargoes they carry for the country’s common subsistence safe’’.
The NIMASA boss, was said to have also taken advantage of the International Maritime Seminar, in Lisbon, Capital of Portugal, to ask the International shipping Community to remove Nigeria from the list of countriies designated as war risk zone which had caused the increased insurance premium, and subsequent high costs of imported goods in the country. War risk insurance is a tupe of premium , which covers damage due to acts of war, including an invasion , insurrection , rebellion and hijacking of vessels and kinap of seafarers by Pirates.
There are indications that if this could be done with the measures being adopted by the Maritime Regulatory agency to cut the wing of the Pirates and sea robbers operating in Nigerian waters as many of them have relocated to other countries in the West and and Central African sub-region, Nigeria-bound shippers would be able to save not less than N77 million off their annual shipping costs from the removal of the war risk insurance. The NIMASA, had said repeatedly that the removal of the war risk insurance policy by Lloyd and other Internation Insurance Companies would translate to cheaper cos of imported goods found in the Nigerian market and also improve the country’s ease of doing business.
Jamoh , the NIMASA helmsman, may have won the heart of officials of the Nigeria friendly nations who were said to have given their words to support the country’s bid to be reinstated to the IMO category C, going its performance , in checkmating the activities of Pirates and searobbery over the last one year in Nigerian waters over the last one year.
Indeed, the country’s efforts in fighting Piracy and sea robbery in Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea, can better be appreciated with the signing into Law of the Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Act, SPOMO, by President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired army GEeneral, in June 2019.
There is no gain saying the fact that this piece of Legislation gave effect to the seriousness of the Nigerian government to implement the provisions of the United Nation, Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNCLO, 1982, on Piracy and the International Convention on the suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Navigation, SUA, 1998 and its Protocol.
Edward Osagie, an Assistant Director, overseeing the agency Public Relations Department, had said that ‘’since the Law came into effect some two years ago, no fewer than 20 Pirates who had been arrested had been convicted to various terms of imprisonment .
At the regional level, he may have re-echoed the words of the agency Directo General Statement that following the UN , Security Council resolutions 2011 and 2012, calling on countries in the Economic Community of West Africa Sub-region, Economic Community of Central African States, and the Gulf of Guinea to work together, on a strategy to fight Piracy and fight sea robbery and other illegal activities in the region, they have no option but to do so..
Already, the Katina state born Nigerian President has joined other Heads of States and Government s of the West and Central African Sub-regions to sign the Yaounde Declaration, which was done on June 25, 2013, basically to Collaborate in the fight against Piracy and sea robbery in the Gulf of Guinea region.
Described in M=maritime circles as the Yaounde Declaration, , was said to have facilitated the establishment of the Inter-regional Coordination Centre, ICC, at Yaounde, Capital of Cameroon. Instructively, the two countries, Nigeria and Cameroon, are currently Collaborating with INTERTANKO, INTERCARGO, ICS, OCIM and, BIMCO, to develop a Framework called the Gulf of Guinea, Maritime Collaboration Forum on shared awareness and Deconfliction, or GOG-MCF/SHADE.
The Framework, according to a NIMASA source, is a Multilateral Iniative involving industry stakeholders and member countries of the ECOWAS and ECCAS, including the Gulf of Guinea on Information sharing and incident reporting, Cooperation at Sea and Air DeDe-confliction. The G7++FOGG, according to the source is another Multinational group working in Collaboration with the ECOWAS, ECCAS and the member countries of the Gulf of Guinea sub-region.
Although, the Unilatera and Multilateral Collaboration are necessary for maintaining Safetyand Seecurity in the Gulf of Guinea, but Planet Earth, had said that much must be done in the complex web of International Relations and Diplomacy so as not to undermine the Sovereignty and territorial integrity of any country, big or small.
Jamoh, the NIMASA , CEO, may have alluded to to the Principle of Mare Liberum, a unilateral Declaration by some private utilities to deploy warships to thwaters contiguous to the Atlantic areas of the West African sub-region not amnable to good International Relations at the Lisbon, International Maritime Seminar.
He was said to have also made reference to the idea of Coordinated Maritime Presence, CMP, Scheme used by some countries to deploy frigates to the Alantic oceans of the West African sub-region and Gulf of Guinea, which he had said should be with the consent and aggrement of the member countries within the Sub-Continent in line with the International Laws and as amark of respect for the dignity of the people.
Even at the Continental level, The Value, could Authoritatively confirm that Nigeria is a party to the Charter on Maritime Security and and Development in Africa, which it had signed in September 2016 in Lome, Capital of the West African country of Togo.. The mandate of the Organisation was basically to prevent and suppress national and multi-lateral crimes:terrorism, Piracy, sea robbery against ship, drug trafficking, smuggling of migrants, trafficking in persons and other forms illegal trafficking through the sea and IUU Fishing.
