Does Nigeria Operate a Coastguard?
If the answer is yes under what act did the NASS approve of it?
During my days in NIMASA as a deputy director in 1997/98, the idea of establishing a coastguard was mooted but the Nigeria navy vehemently opposed it, stating that Nigeria, unlike America and Canada, was not ripe enough to operate a parallel navy in whatever name. The navy opined that for NIMASA to implement their principal mandate, namely maintaining/monitoring safer ships, cleaner ocean and regulating ship operations through the implementation of STCW codes, that an MOU be established between it and NIMASA since the security of our coastal waters falls under the mandate of the navy. To my understanding this MOU still exists between the two marine organs.
As a marine safety expert it is worrisome to adopt a private body to implement NIMASA principal mandate especially when it involves the acquisition and operation of vessel bottoms.The danger here is who is responsible for design specifications of the construction of these vessels? Has the private body the manpower capacity to engage in satisfactory construction/acquisition and operation of such highly dedicated vessels? How many Nigerian Naval Architect/Navy officers are involved in the acquisition of these vessels? Does the MOU between NIMASA and Nigerian Navy exclude the acquisition of such vessels, which invalidates the essence of security collaboration with the Navy abinitio?
During my days in NIMASA as a deputy director in 1997/98, the idea of establishing a coastguard was mooted but the Nigeria navy vehemently opposed it, stating that Nigeria, unlike America and Canada, was not ripe enough to operate a parallel navy in whatever name. The navy opined that for NIMASA to implement their principal mandate, namely maintaining/monitoring safer ships, cleaner ocean and regulating ship operations through the implementation of STCW codes, that an MOU be established between it and NIMASA since the security of our coastal waters falls under the mandate of the navy. To my understanding this MOU still exists between the two marine organs.
As a marine safety expert it is worrisome to adopt a private body to implement NIMASA principal mandate especially when it involves the acquisition and operation of vessel bottoms.The danger here is who is responsible for design specifications of the construction of these vessels? Has the private body the manpower capacity to engage in satisfactory construction/acquisition and operation of such highly dedicated vessels? How many Nigerian Naval Architect/Navy officers are involved in the acquisition of these vessels? Does the MOU between NIMASA and Nigerian Navy exclude the acquisition of such vessels, which invalidates the essence of security collaboration with the Navy abinitio?
NIMASA flag-state and port-state ship surveyors when implementing their statutory job function must do so under strict safety conditions and this condition can be appropriately provided by the Nigerian Navy and not by private security organ, since these surveyors are not insured. It is therefore imperative that surveyors are not subjected to harm’s way in the course of carrying out their statutory duties. Under international best practices, member coastal states of the IMO (International Maritime Organisation) do not contract private security organisation to assist in the implementation of their statutory functions especially if the private body has no known manpower capacity in maritime safety and security operations. NIMASA has an option with the Nigerian Navy whom they have an existing MOU and have over the years collaborated with NIMASA in these areas.
If NIMASA must operate it must do so under NASS approval and the private organ must operate under navigational competence across board of both officers and men onboard these vessels in accordance with STCW codes.
It is my candid opinion as a marine safety expert to confine NIMASA to its regulatory roles and civil collaboration with Navy and mutually-exclusively allow the Navy conducts the security of our coastal waters without any competitive parallel body in whatever name, to avoid ambiguity.
Gren Ekeledo,
Marine Safety Expert/Naval architect
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