The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. 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.
Mustapha said such development had also made the maritime sector a new attraction for investors.
The SGF pointed out the nation was beginning to see another opportunity through which it could harness its vast resources.
Mustapha, who was represented by the Honourable Minister of Budget, 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 also used the opportunity to congratulate and urge the awardees and the industry stakeholders to remain focused in supporting the Federal Government’s drive to take Nigeria’s economy to greater height.
“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,” Senator Udoma said.
The Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside reiterated the fact that the maritime industry remains the backbone of international trade and that the Nigerian maritime sector has made remarkable achievements in the last two years.
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,” Dr. Dakuku said.