The Nigerian Navy warned about the potential conflict over the planned expansion of the mandate of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to include the security of maritime.
According to the Navy, NIMASA should limit its mandate to safety and administration on waterways and not get involved in maritime security matters.
More specifically, Chief of Training and Operations, Nigerian Navy, Solomon Agada, said that security should be removed from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency Act Bill 2021, allowing the agency to focus on safety.
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As Mr. Agada noted, the Nigerian Navy over time observed that NIMASA has a huge provision in its Act to expand its mandate beyond maritime administration and safety to the realm of maritime security.
This conflicting trend also exists in the draft bill 2021, adds Mr. Agada, noting that it is against this background that the Nigerian Navy makes these observations:
- The word security was used without conceptual clarification. It is essential that the word security be replaced with administration in the preamble of the bill and subsequent sections.
- This is necessary to ensure NIMASA focuses on core mandate of regulatory safety agency in order to avoid conflict with the Nigerian Navy constitutional responsibility of maritime security of the nation.
Speaking earlier while declaring the hearing open, the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, warned against over-regulating the maritime sector.
In performing this role, we must be wary of over-regulation. We must be careful not to over-legislate in ways that become inimical to our objectives of advancing the growth and prosperity of the industry
The navy stand is apt. NIMASA should face its mandate of maritime administration, which its yet to meet up with and leave security of the maritime space for the NN. The NN, despite lean resources,has made positive impacts in security of Nigerian maritime environment. Expanding the mandate of NIMASA will only lead to duplication of efforts and unwarranted interagency rivalry.
GOD BLESS NIGERIA NAVY