14th December, 2010
Concerned with government’s inconsistent policies and leadership instability at the nation’s apex maritime regulatory agency, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), stakeholders in the nation’s shipping sector are billed to meet at the instance of Ships and Ports Communication Company to brainstorm and proffer solutions to critical issues bedevilling the nation’s maritime safety administration.
The meeting with the theme How to Position NIMASA for Optimum Performance, according to the Chief Executive Officer of Ships and Ports Communication Company, Bolaji Akinola is consequent upon the constant policy failures and lack of sustainable leadership at NIMASA which has continued to exert a huge toll on the fortunes of the Nigerian maritime industry.
According to Akinola, within the current democratic dispensation which has so far lasted for only 11 years, NIMASA has had seven Directors-General, meaning that an average Director-General spends 1.57 years in office rather than the minimum four years he/she should ideally spend.
More interesting to note is that under the 11 years, two of the Directors-General had spent six years in office leaving the remaining five with five years.
“This development creates uncertainty and is inimical to achieving the virile maritime industry of our dreams.
“It is high time professionals and major stakeholders in the industry take leadership of the sector out of the hands of politicians who see the agency as a fertile ground for muscle-flexing and political patronage,†Akinola said.
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