The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha, has said that the Federal Government has successfully worked hard through the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, to reposition the Nigerian maritime industry for the nation’s economic growth.
The SGF, who spoke at the NIMASA Corporate Dinner and Merit Awards held at Eko Hotels, Lagos last weekend pointed out the nation was beginning to see another opportunity through which it could harness its vast resources.
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Mr Mustapha, who was represented by the Minister of Budget and Planning, Senator Udo Udoma, equally noted that the current management of NIMASA had, in about three years of President Buhari’s Administration, turned around the Agency and placed it on a good position to continue to contribute to the growth of the economy.
He stated: “The DG and his team and the Board are doing well in NIMASA. They have transformed the organisation. I will also like to congratulate the Minister of Transportation because it is through his guidance and supervision that all these transformations have taken place. He is an action man, somebody that makes things happen.”
Earlier in his welcome address, the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, said that the maritime industry in Nigeria remains the backbone of international trade and that the Nigerian maritime sector has made remarkable achievements in the last two years.
Speaking further, he also noted that despite the challenges being faced in the sector, the stakeholders’ commitment, professionalism and resilience are the reasons the Agency is doing well.
“The Nigerian maritime sector is on a journey, we are not where we are going yet, hence we need the continuous support of our stakeholders in our quest to realize a robust maritime sector, so that we can compete favourably with our counterparts in other maritime climes,” Mr Peterside said.
