Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Bashir Jamoh is a man schooled in providing creative solutions to issues. And saddled with the task of delivering the mandate of NIMASA to the nation, he has been working to reposition shipping business in Nigeria, taking practical steps and pursuit that have positive ramifications for security, jobs and prosperity of Nigeria.
Jamoh noticed that through creative solutionsmany countries have begun to shed entrenched roadblocks and create their own framework for investment and growth. He taps into this framework, to help ease things for maritime stakeholders, as Nigeria braces up for a contraction of up to 20% in 2021. To him sound economic and regulatory management becomes the most important path to recovery for the government.He believes that maritime sector is key to this recovery, and business must also be an engine for growth for the economy, as a joint commitment between public and private sectors to stimulate trade, partnerships, and investment will be key for reactivation, employment, and regional stability.
Some recent, creative exercises are being developed in the shipping industry by NIMASA under Jamoh’s watch are commendable. These are done through the creation of programmes aimed at promoting maritime security and safety, pushing Nigeria’s competitive advantages in coastal shipping, in pursuit of new, domestic investment in infrastructure and investments in seafarers development and welfare,ensuring that seafarers years of theoretical knowledge, practical applications, and experience at sea are optimally deployed to enhance maritime business and the cabotage trade, while creating opportunities for them in shipping industry.
First to stimulate investment and boost activities in the maritime industry, amid the downturn caused by COVID-19, the Director-General drummed that the Federal Ministry of Transportation was considering zero import duty on new vessels, parts for ship building and repairs following years of agitation by indigenous shipping operators for import duty waiver as obtained in aviation sector. He conveyed the Ministry’s position to the Honourable Minister of Finance, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed.
Jamoh reiterated the commitment of the Honorable Minister of Transportation, Rt. Honourable Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, towards ensuring the growth of maritime in Nigeria saying the ministry also proposed other tax incentives for maritime industry operators.
He said the proposed incentives included zero import duty for brand new vessels imported by Nigerians or Nigerian shipping companies for use in foreign or domestic trade; 0.5 percent only import duty for vessels aged between one and five years intended for use in foreign or domestic trade; and one percent only import duty for vessels aged between five and eight years intended for use in foreign or domestic trade.
There was also a proposal for zero import duty for parts or components imported by Nigerian shipyards for local ship building, which will be for an initial period of four years after which it can be reviewed by government. All these are expected to give the sector the vibrancy it needs for growth.
Second, on the safety and security front, NIMASA has a working relationship with different security agencies. These include the Nigerian Air Force. To realize fast-track this, the NIMASA Director-General paid a working visit to the Nigerian Air Force headquarters in Abuja. During the visit, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, announced that air assets acquired under the Deep Blue Project, also called the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, domiciled with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) were set for deployment by the Nigerian Air Force in support of the Federal Government’s maritime security effort.
The NIMASA DG had requested adequate arrangement to receive and deploy the two special mission aircraft expected in the country in the next few months. He praised the leadership of the Nigerian Air Force for its commitment to capacity development, and noted that NIMASA was committed to ensuring the success of the Deep Blue Project with adequate cooperation from all stakeholders.
“We have received two Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), and the two special mission aircraft are expected to arrive in Nigeria before the end of the year. The challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the special training for the personnel to man these air assets, but we have found a way around it. We will continue to seek your partnership to secure the Nigerian maritime domain.”
Dr. Jamoh revealed that 17 fast interceptor boats, 15 armoured vehicles, and two special mission vessels were some of the land and marine assets already on the ground, saying all hands must be on deck to secure the country’s maritime environment and change all negative narratives.
The Deep Blue Project, also called the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, is a maritime security project, which aims to comprehensively tackle insecurity in Nigeria’s territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone, up to the Gulf of Guinea.
Third action has to do with human capital development and training of seafarers. Not long ago,. Dr Jamoh, made the disclosure in a statement in Lagos that NIMASA had secured more sea time berths for 400 cadets in spite of limitations caused by COVID-19 pandemic. He said the cadets were trained under the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP), disclosing that the achievement followed a recent three-month extension granted the 400 Nigerian seafarers undertaking sea time courses in different parts of the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jamoh said that the training was extended for another three months by NIMASA to enable the seafarers complete their training due to the global lockdown caused by the pandemic. According to him, the three-month programme would lead to the award of Certificate of Competency (CoC) to beneficiaries.He added that the agency had intensified efforts to secure sea time opportunities for a good number of the trained cadets across the globe.
“In the first quarter of 2020 alone, we secured sea time berths for over 550 cadets in various countries for the three months programme leading to the issuance of CoCs.However, due to the pandemic, we extended their sponsorship for another three months, which comes with additional cost, and we are still looking to extend it further as we continue to monitor the pandemic and how it affects the programme.”
He said that the agency was in constant touch with Nigerian embassies in the beneficiaries’ host countries as well as the students themselves and their leaders.
“Keeping in touch is to monitor their situations and guard against anything that could keep them stranded in a foreign country.We have adapted our approaches to the peculiar conditions of the different countries where we have Nigerian seafarers on sea time training.The feedback from the students’ leaders in the various countries have been very encouraging.”
He disclosed that another set of NSDP cadets had been approved for training, but their enrollment was on hold due to the global pandemic.
The NSDP was initiated by NIMASA in 2008 to deal with the dearth of trained and certified seafarers in Nigeria.So far, the programme had graduated over 2,000 cadets, and many of them have undergone sea time courses and are currently in the employment of various international shipping lines.
Fourth action has to with cabotage trade. Sometimes in October, NIMASA came out with a three month notice to companies engaged in cabotage trade in Nigeria to register vessels used in coastal and inland water trade. In addition in the applicable register for cabotage vessels and ship owning companies and obtaining the certificate of cabotage registration and license for all cabotage vessels within 3 months.
According to NIMASA, it will be at the expiration of the three months that it would notify relevant authorities , international oil companies to stop engaging vessels without cabotage certificates. speaking after the release of a maritime notice to announce the decision, Dr Jamoh disclosed that the was part of effort to ensure strict enforcement of the coastal and inland shipping (Cabotage act 2003) and guidelines on the implementation of the act.
“The act provided that every vessel intended for use in domestic trade must be duly registered by the registrar of ships. The law provides that every vessel intended for use under the cabotage Act must be duly registered and the operational certificates be renewed annually. We are to ensure strict implementation of NIMASA mandate under the law.”
Jamoh asserted that NIMASA’s intention is to build and continue to enhance the capacity of Nigerians in the shipping industry in with relevant international organizations.
Success in these endeavors will not be complete without addressing seafarers welfare and capacity. This forms the fifth plank of NIMASA action.Having discovered the shabby ways some ship owners treat seafarers in terms welfare packages, the agency wields its policy tools to whip erring ship owners into the line and strengthen hope of welfare for these seafarers by making ship owners more responsible to their workers, making the work environment more employees friendly. He discovered that many seafarers are often treated shabbily by ship-owners who mostly employ them. Jamoh frowned at this kind of labour/employers relationships.He felt there was need to ensure sanity. And right now there is a gradual shift and improvement towards addressing this, as concerned stakeholders make moves to ensure adequate welfare of Nigerian seafarers
As a result of Jamoh’s initiatives, something great is being done in a bid to ensure sanity in the relationship between ship owners and seafarers. This is brought out by the fact that the federal government has threatened to sanction ship owners who default in the implementation of the contributory pension scheme for seafarers. This came to the open in September.
Jamoh disclosed this during a webinar hosted by NIMASA to mark the 2020 Day of the Seafarer in Lagos.The session, attracted local and international participants, with the key speaker and consultant at Transbasin Limited, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Karen Ogidigben Onimisi, and Nigerian Labour Attaché at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Switzerland, Essah Aniefiok Etim, calling for better welfare and support for seafarers.
According to Jamoh, “Policies are in the pipeline to improve the quality of training and certificates we give to the seafarers. We are taking steps to standardise the curriculum of our training institutions in line with international standards. We are also working on increasing the remuneration of our seafarers. These policies would be announced as soon as we complete work on them.”
Disclosing that seafarers were among the most courageous people in the world, he stressed that the theme for this year’s Day of the Seafarer, ‘Seafarers are key workers,’ is a “testament to the fact that the world cannot do without seafarers. Seafarers hold the key to humanity’s survival on a day-to-day basis. They hold the key to our wellbeing in this time of COVID-19 period.”
He observed that seafarers are key to sustaining the global supply chain, distributing urgently needed medical supplies with enormous risk to their lives and families.
“The seafarers are unsung heroes; they are also our invisible heroes. We see their handwork every day and everywhere in agricultural machinery, the food we eat, and the unbroken run of the manufacturing base, despite the global lockdown.”
The DG spoke on the challenges faced by seafarers amid the coronavirus pandemic, including stringent work conditions in some countries, movement restrictions, lockdowns, crew change difficulties, fatigue and seasickness, and disruption of contracts.
“As a regulator, we have taken steps to alleviate the suffering of the seafarers. NIMASA was among the first government agencies to declare seafarers as being on essential duty, and we published this in a marine notice. We also issued COVID-19 guidelines to incoming ships towards ensuring that there is no importation of the virus by sea.
“NIMASA was the first in West Africa to issue a COVID-19 marine notice. We challenged ship-owners and employers of seafarers to take necessary proactive measures to lessen the pains of seafarers. We also walked in lockstep with the IMO to tailor all our marine notices in the early period of COVID-19 towards supporting the extension of the validity of seafarers’ certificates, crew change, guidelines, procedure and their designation as essential workers.”
According to Jamoh, “It is said that a good sailor weathers the storm he cannot avoid; COVID-19 was a storm Seafarers couldn’t avoid. As tried and tested seamen and women, our seafarers have continued to weather this storm for us. We celebrate you today. Nigeria thanks you, the world appreciates you, NIMASA as a regulator will never abandon you. We will support you all the way.”
On his part, Director, Maritime Sector Consultant at Transbasin Limited, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Onimisi called on the international community to render necessary assistance to seafarers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She commended NIMASA for supporting seafarers during the pandemic and emphasised the need for Nigeria to develop post-pandemic measures to make the country’s seafarers internationally marketable and competitive.
“Seafarers are part of the global supply chain and should have access to shore leave at ports in accordance with global regulations. There is also a need to look at improved ways to mitigate the challenges that COVID-19 has brought before us, commencing with digitalisation of our processes, including local training and licensing of Nigerian seafarers.”
Also speaking, ILO Nigerian Labour Attaché, Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations in Switzerland, Etim sued for better working conditions for seafarers, calling for greater opportunities to make their voices heard, saying they should be encouraged through appropriate rewards and compesations.
As part of the activities marking the day, NIMASA donated to the seafarers, items that included essential commodities, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), facemasks, and hand sanitisers.
Dr Jamoh’s attention was drawn to what seafarers in the country have in recent times decry as marginalisation by foreign shipping lines and some local shipping lines as well. They claimed these shipping lines made no pretence that theyhave a prefence for their counterparts from other countries, even with less qualifications. They said this is despite the massive investment in seafarers development by Federal Government, championed by NIMASA. According to them, the discrimination formerly popular among foreign companies has now further taken roots with several indigenous companies, including the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) producing company with the Nigerian Government as a shareholder.
Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, a seafarer Daniel Ikueyemi pointed out that poor feedback at NIMASA has deprived the agency of the true impact of the investment in seafarers development. Programme (NSDP) are on the verge of having their Certificates of Competence (CoC) expire, “yet many have no resources to renew it because they never had an opportunity of going on board vessels even for a single day.
“NLNG rejects seafarers with Nigerian CoCs. NLNG is a company in which the nation has shares. If this certificate doesn’t have value in our country and organizations like NLNG reject it, there is no need talking about acceptability of this certificate around the globe. There is no point wasting our time on that. “
Ikueyemi proposed that NIMASA creates a seafarers’ desk at the agency with the task of receiving valuable information and experiences of seafarers especially on practices on-board vessels.
“NIMASA shouldn’t allow their resources waste away because that is what happens when the seafarers aren’t engaged. The duration of CoC is five years and it becomes useless if one doesn’t utilise it during that timeframe.”
Since his appointment as NIMASA D-G, Jamoh has made improved welfare and human capital development for seafarers part of his agenda. This is because of his belief in economic justice and the fact that seafarers are critical to the Nigerian economy. He knows that the job of seafarers involve years of rigorous training in mastering the aspects of navigation, cargo work and ship operations and the everyday precise application of it. And as a result, they need to be treated fairly.
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