The Minister of Transportation, Engr. Mua’zu Jaji Sambo on Tuesday opened the Abuja Zonal Office of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) with the primary aim of ending the huge amount the Federal Government spends yearly on rented apartment for the agency.
According to NIMASA’s Director-General, Dr Bashir Jamoh, the new building would house the much-awaited Regional Maritime Development Bank in Nigeria.
The bank is one of the projects NIMASA is championing to reposition the industry for greater efficiency and productivity.
The agency is also pushing for the regional bank as part of Nigeria’s quest of becoming a member of Category C in the International Maritime Organisation.
Jamoh said that the construction of new office complexes was in line with the restructuring programme of the agency, which plans to devolve more powers to the operational offices, to enhance efficiency, productivity and revenue generation.
He stressed President Muhammadu Buhari’s resolve to grow the economy through the various infrastructure put in place by NIMASA and the Federal Ministry of Transportation to boost productivity
“The vision and mission of the agency is to be a leading maritime administration agency in Africa, advancing global maritime goals, it is to achieve secure shipping, cleaner oceans and enhance maritime capacity in line with global best practices towards Nigerian economic development.
“Our maritime domain is a shared and international one, shipping is international, so our partners are spread across regional, international, and continental constituencies, therefore, today’s ceremony is living up to what the world expects from us.
“If we train our staff internationally, we must provide them with a working environment that matches with these international standards”, he said.
“This edifice reflects my management commitment in providing a world-class working environment in addition to the recently improved condition of service for all our employees. With this investment, we have taken things up top-notch by providing support, infrastructure, and environment regarding safety, and security, we practice what we preach and we do what we said.
“The nation’s maritime safety administration is so build as an existing fire alarm system. This edifice has CCTV gadgets for security surveillance of internal and external parts of the building. There is an automated glass door at the entrance of the building, and new stand by KVA generator brand. It has an ambience for staff and officers of the agency to unleash their potential” Jamoh further said.
The location and the overall make-up of this structure is expected to constitute an enabling environment for quality service delivery and improve workers’ productivity.
“The building seats on 1,361.73 square meters of land consisting of five floors, the sixth floor being the penthouse serves as the safe and service room.
“The facilities in the penthouse meet all best practices standards in hosting international meetings and high-level engagement. Each floor has an open layout call concept with no wall obstruction but pillars with conveniences for three for men and women and space for canteen services. The building has six person elevators among others.
“This is the situation the government agencies found themselves in, they have enormous resources, but at the end of the day, they end up being beggars.
“With the full support, guidance of the Federal Ministry of Transportation under the leadership of Engr. Muazu Jaji Sambo, with the approval of the Federal Executive Council, today, we are here to celebrate one of the most important edifices that NIMASA has”, the DG said
He urged all NIMASA staff to act responsibly adding that the asset belongs to Nigerian people but is only given to NIMASA as a custodian.
“We would ensure a culture of maintenance that would extend its lifespan, we would only serve as a caretaker”, he said.
The DG added that some diplomats in Nigeria had commended NIMASA for the structure as it would provide “a befitting meeting place and bring the agency’s activities closer to some critical global maritime players in Abuja”.
He thanked the minister for the support the agency received to secure approval and funding for the building
The minister said that the building, apart from reducing the cost of governance, would serve as the centrepiece of government relations on matters with bilateral and multilateral implications on international trade and cooperation, and would enable the agency to host foreign diplomats and other key maritime stakeholders in the Federal Capital Territory, thereby helping the agency speedily achieve its mandate, especially when it needed to reach out to different arms of government.
The expensive and highly magnificent five-story building, named ‘Otunba Olakunle Folarin House’, is situated along Diplomatic Drive, opposite Honda/Hyundai Place, by NNPC Filling Station, Central Business District, Abuja.
Folarin, a maritime industry icon, died on last 8th November, a few weeks to his 82nd birthday. He was the Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Consultative Council, as well as the Chairman of National Seafarers Welfare Board.
Sambo said the zonal office was built by NIMASA due to the responsibilities and functions that the zonal office plays in discharging its mandate.
The role of NIMASA, Sambo said, could not be understated in the delivery of nation’s economic potential based on the fact that the country is at the cusp of an economic renaissance, with boundless opportunities in its maritime domain.
The Abuja zonal office, the Minister said, serves as the nexus point between the NIMASA and the Federal Ministry of Transportation, the National Assembly, and all other relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, as well as critical stakeholders like the Central Bank of Nigeria and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, amongst others.
Sambo further said: “For us as a nation to achieve our potential, there is a strong need to put in place strategic and tangible structures that will yield quantifiable and intangible dividends in the years to come.
“As we flag off the commissioning of all completed projects by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, what will become apparent for all to see is the intentionality, commitment, and focus of the Federal Government of Nigeria to ensure that the proper foundation is put in place so that as a people, we can continuously build towards a greater tomorrow.
“Today, we are gathered here to commission the newly acquired NIMASA Abuja Zonal Office. At the same time, there may be those who will raise questions about the need for a Maritime Administration to secure an office in Abuja, where there is no ocean. But I assure you that the acquisition of this office is not to fulfil another bureaucratic justification but due to the responsibilities and functions that the zonal office plays in discharging NIMASA’s mandate.
“The Abuja zonal office further oversees the operations of the NIMASA’s Lokaja Safety Base, thereby playing a pivotal role in delivering the Agency’s regulatory responsibilities on safety matters in our inland waterways”.
