Jamoh’s Three-Point Agenda: Two Years After

By Oluwafemi Kumuyi

On March 10, 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Dr. Bashir Jamoh as Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). Upon assumption of office, the newly constituted Executive Management hit the ground running with a three-point agenda, namely, Maritime Safety, Maritime Security, and Shipping Development, in line with the Agency’s mandate.

The three elements, referred to as the 3s or Triple S, are critical to the survival and effectiveness of the Nigerian maritime industry, which the Management of the Agency has passionately pursued.

Although the administration was greeted with the COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged the entire globe, affecting virtually all sectors of the world economy, with a heavy toll on the maritime sector, it continued to carry out its functions and ensured the effective and efficient operation of the maritime sector.

In examining the Triple S strategy of the Jamoh administration, it is imperative to state that security is at the heart of the maritime sector of any nation. Security of the maritime domain helps to build investors’ confidence and attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the maritime sector.

Nigeria is endowed with a vast 853 kilometres of coastline, making it a strong maritime nation, bordering the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) alongside other countries in West and Central Africa. The Gulf of Guinea, being a major shipping route, is faced with enormous security challenges and considered a dreaded route for shipping activities. Cases of vessel hijacking, crew kidnapping, and other maritime crimes are rife in the region.

It was amid this security conundrum that the Deep Blue Project was birthed. The project, which has air, sea, and land components, is purposed to tackle criminal activities within the Nigerian maritime domain and the Gulf of Guinea.

President Muhammadu Buhari launched the Deep Blue Project on June 10, 2021 in Lagos.

The project has since started yielding results, as there has been a significant decline in piracy in Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea.

At the launch of the assets, President Buhari said, “The initiative will serve as a benchmark for member states in the Gulf of Guinea and other relevant stakeholders to further develop innovative strategies and align efforts with the subsisting framework to improve maritime security in the region.

“The launch marked an important milestone in our collective effort to tackle security challenges in the form of piracy and other maritime crimes in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea.

“It is also a demonstration of the government’s strong commitment to ensuring security, as this will no doubt facilitate a conducive environment for the maritime sector to thrive and contribute to the diversification of the Nigerian economy.”

Buhari expressed confidence in the project, saying it provides robust maritime security architecture, with enhanced maritime domain awareness capability and improved law enforcement ability. 

The Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act, signed into law by Buhari in June 2019, gives further credence and backbone to the Deep Blue Project, as it facilitates more effective prosecution of maritime crimes.

Extolling the role of the Agency in its sustained effort to curb insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea, Secretary General of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Kitack Lim noted that the launch of the maritime security infrastructure was a major development in the war against piracy. Lim added that the Deep Blue initiative had helped to tackle piracy and other maritime related crimes, not only in Nigerian waters, but also in the Gulf of Guinea.

This acknowledgement is a testament to the strides of the Jamoh Management in its effort to realise a viable maritime sector in Nigeria.

Furthermore, a report released by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) in the third quarter of 2021 revealed that there was a drastic reduction of piracy attacks in the Nigerian waters compared to the same period in 2020. This feat is not unconnected with the launch of the Deep Blue assets, which have been deployed for use.

Another strategic focus of the current leadership of the Agency is safety on the waterways. This led to the launch of the wreck removal initiative across the coastal states in the country.

In September 2021, the Agency, through the Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMOT), got approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to commence the process of wreck removal across the country. The process started by first identifying the wreck across the country, thereafter beginning the removal and the recycling process. This will not only guarantee safety of navigation, but also help in the creation of jobs in the country.

To further harness the gains of the wreck removal operations, the Agency, in collaboration with the Nigerian Railway Cooperation (NRC), agreed on a partnership to make use of NRC’s foundry to break and recycle the wrecks for the purpose of wealth creation.

Meanwhile, the Agency has also embraced collaboration as a measure for achieving some of its objectives, geared towards a safe and secure maritime domain in Nigeria. One of such is the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) aimed at providing a weather forecast system for vessels plying the Nigerian waters, in line with international best practice. This is meant to guarantee safety and security in the country’s waterways.

All these efforts are helping to build a robust shipping development regime geared towards a competitive maritime sector in Nigeria.

The Agency, within the last two years, has also renewed its Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigerian Navy for the patrol of the waterways to guarantee safety of vessels and their crew. This is in addition to other partnerships with the Nigerian Air Force, Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and Department of State Services (DSS), among other stakeholders.

For the first time in the history of the Nigerian maritime sector, the Agency, alongside its sister agencies – Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) – initiated a joint meeting of heads of the maritime agencies. The chief executives of the agencies meet periodically to brainstorm, harmonise their activities, and encourage synergy in their operations. This move will help improve information sharing and efficiency in the operations of the Nigerian ports.

Remarkably, in the last two years, there has been a significant increase in conditional survey of Nigerian flagged vessels and Ports State inspections for foreign-flagged vessels, thereby adding impetus to the level of compliance and enforcement of vessels operating in the Nigerian waters.

Other strides of the Agency in the last two years include the signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the World Maritime University (WMU), Malmo, Sweden, aimed at developing capacity of the staff and boosting their knowledge of the maritime sector. This is also birthing a strategic succession plan that guarantees the future of the Nigerian maritime industry.

Furthermore, an online certificate verification platform for seafarers was reactivated in order to reduce forgery, while also enhancing the employment chances for seafarers anywhere in the world.

The last two years have been eventful in the Nigerian maritime sector, as the Jamoh administration maintains its focus on realising the mandate of the Agency. The strides have been seamless through collaboration, which has remained a hallmark of this administration.

Conclusively, there is a common saying that, to whom much is given, much is required. There is still much work to do, particularly with economic diversification drive of the Federal Government, geared towards reducing dependence on oil. The maritime sector remains a key industry and all hands must be on the deck to ensure maximisation of the country’s rich potential, with particular reference to the development of the Blue Economy.

The focus should be the usage and preservation of ocean-based resources for wealth creation and economic prosperity.

* Kumuyi is a staff of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).