Maritime
Customer Service Week: You keep NIMASA afloat, Jamoh tells stakeholders
By Paul Eso
The Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, has stated that stakeholders would continue to occupy premium position in the life of NIMASA, noting that it is the stakeholders who keep the Agency and maritime business afloat.
Speaking during this year’s celebration of the Customer Service Week, at the Agency’s Headquarters in Lagos, the DG averred his believe that investment in material assets by NIMASA would be meaningless without the staff and other external stakeholders.
He added that for every investment in material assets, there was need for a corresponding availability of stakeholders to make such investment significant.
“Today, we at NIMASA are celebrating our existence. We are celebrating our existence because without you, our stakeholders, there will be no NIMASA. Yes, we must invest in maritime assets acquisition. But then, we know that in spite of the level of investment in both tangible and intangible assets by NIMASA, without the stakeholders, such investments will be meaningless”, the DG said.
Jamoh used the event to welcome the National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of SERVICOM, Mrs. Nnenna Akajemeli, who was at the Agency to celebrate with the staff, noting that adherence to NIMASA’s core values was necessary to guarantee mutual satisfaction of both internal and external stakeholders of the Agency,
Jamoh stressed his believe in the founding Principles of SERVICOM, reiterating that Public Offices were the shopping floors for government businesses, and that there was need to always leave whoever goes to the floor for shopping with a high level of satisfaction.
On her part, the National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of SERVICOM commended NIMASA for all the achievements of the Agency, particularly in the areas of stakeholder support and complaint handling system.
She applauded the NIMASA’s Maritime Stakeholders’ Experience Contact Centre (MSECC), noting that it is a world-class facility.
“We at SERVICOM are thrilled by what we are seeing in NIMASA today. The environment, level of professionalism exhibited by staff, customer-centric orientation and attitude, as well as the energies we have noticed and experienced are all worthy of emulation.
“We therefore urge other government parastatals to visit NIMASA leadership and learn from them. Your operations and individualized attention to some of my colleagues, who acted as mystery shoppers was amazing. We must confess our happiness and we are proud we are part of the celebration. We are part of this history”, Akajemeli said.
Highlights of the celebration were surprise rewards for somesupport staff and staff of the Agency with different gifts items.
Customer Service Week is an international celebration that calls attention to the importance of customer service and the people who provide it.
Celebrated in the first week of October of every year, and with the theme of this year’s celebration as “Celebrate Service”, the goals of Customer Service Week are: to elicit team bonding, boost morale, reward employees for the significant work they do, and raise awareness of the value of customer to organization’s successes.
Maritime
NIMASA Makes Dockworkers Registration Compulsory
The management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has advised International Oil Companies, terminal and jetty operators, and all other companies involved in stevedoring in the country to refrain from engaging unregistered dockworkers.
The information was contained in a statement made available to Biztellers by the Head, Public Relations, NIMASA, Osagie Edward.
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According to the statement, all stakeholders, including dock labour employers and stevedoring companies, are encouraged to apply for new operating licenses or renew expired ones within a 30-day moratorium period.
“This requirement,” it added, “is stipulated by the NIMASA Act of 2007 and outlined in the NIMASA Stevedoring Regulations of 2014, which mandates strict compliance from all maritime operators.”
Osagie cited the Director General, NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola as laying emphasis on the need for stakeholders to comply with extant laws and regulations.
Dr Mobereola said, “No terminal or company shall continue to engage the services of unregistered dockworkers for cargo handling at their work locations.
“This move is part of our broader effort to ensure safe and regulated operations within Nigeria’s maritime industry. Compliance with these regulations will enhance our ability to maintain an up-to-date database of dockworkers operating in the country. It also improves our planning processes, as we are committed to developing their capacity to meet globally accepted standards for dockworkers in Nigeria. We intend to enforce full compliance after the moratorium period.”
It was gathered that the NIMASA Act, 2007, Part IX, Section 27, addressed the registration of Dockworkers with focus on Maritime Labour.
“It ensures the Registration, Regulation, and control of Maritime Labour, including dockworkers. The Act assigns the Agency the responsibility of maintaining standards in accordance with international best practices,” Osagie added.
Maritime
Maritime Diplomacy: Nigeria Seeks Election Into IMO Council
Nigeria has expressed a strong desire to seek election into Category “C” of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council.
The Honorable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, made the disclosure at the 2024 World Maritime Day parallel event in Barcelona, Spain.
Oyetola noted that Nigeria has put in place the basic needs for the development of her maritime industry in line with recognized global best practices.
In his words, “our active participation in upholding key conventions, such as the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, reflects our dedication to ensuring the safety of international shipping.
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There have been no incidents of piracy in the last three years, as confirmed by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB). By deploying resources to provide maritime security assets, Nigeria has solidified its role as a key guardian of maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.
Nigeria remains a valuable source of manpower for the industry. I therefore urge our partners to explore this potential and assist where possible in the best interest of all. Our Maritime Academy has adequate resources and facilities to support this development.
“I am pleased to announce Nigeria’s resolve to seek a Category “C” membership on the Council.
On his part, the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola, assured that no stone will be left unturned to ensure success in the quest for IMO Category C membership at the next elections.
According to him, “We at NIMASA have met with the IMO technical team and have commenced work on all identified grey areas so that Nigeria can address the gaps identified during the last audit by the IMO.
”We have also commenced the process of effective communication with other member states using the IMO GSIS platform, among others. While we at NIMASA focus on the technical aspects of the preparations, our supervising Ministry will provide the political will to guide Nigeria back to the Council at the IMO.”
Oyetola, who held engagement sessions with the IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez and other diplomats, was accompanied on the working tour by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olufemi Oloruntola; the Director General of the NIMASA; the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho; the Managing Director of NIWA, Mr. Bola Oyebamiji; and the Director of Maritime Safety and Security Services, Mr. Babatunde Bombata.
This year’s parallel event with the theme: Navigating the Future: Safety First, brought together international maritime leaders and experts to discuss future challenges and opportunities, with the aim of ensuring that safety is prioritized in the day-to-day operations of the global maritime sector.
Maritime
Why PPP Is Necessity For Nigeria’s Maritime Infrastructural Dev’t – Mobereola
The adoption of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model is essential for the infrastructural development of Nigeria’s maritime sector.
This is the view of the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola.
The DG, shared his views while hosting the Director General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh.
He emphasized the importance of the Commission’s increased involvement in attracting private investors to develop infrastructural capacity in Nigeria’s maritime sector.
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Dr. Mobereola said, “We appreciate the Management of the ICRC for being responsive. However, you know that the maritime sector is capital intensive and government funds cannot solely put in place the required infrastructure. We need the ICRC to develop PPP based business models that will be attractive to the private sector both from within and outside the country.
“There is the need to streamline processes by the use of technology, as we will continue to count on the support of ICRC to help drive the Agency’s PPP projects for effective and efficient service delivery to our stakeholders”.
Lending support to Dr. Mobereola’s views, Dr. Ewalefoh, underscored the significance of the maritime sector to Nigeria’s economy.
He noted that the PPP model would facilitate increased funding and expertise from the private sector, thereby accelerating the growth and development of the Nigerian maritime sector. Additionally, he stated that the ICRC is prepared to engage with the Agency on its projects and ensure timely execution.
“There is no time to waste; our country needs lots of funding for infrastructure and we need to create an enabling environment for activities to thrive. First, is service delivery, not revenue generation, and people will be willing to pay if they get the right services”, the ICRC boss noted.
The PPP model has proven to be the most viable approach worldwide for driving government policies that promote development and economic growth.
Biztellers reports that as a regulatory agency and Nigeria’s Maritime Administrator, the NIMASA has consistently embraced collaboration and partnership through the PPP initiative to ensure the growth and development of the maritime sector.