Two former chief executives in the Nigerian maritime industry have shared divergent views over the role of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in the administration of the nation’s Flag Registration.
Speaking recently during the inauguration of the new executives of the Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (SOAN) in Lagos, a former Executive Secretary/CEO of the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Barrister Hassan Bello said that Nigeria’s flag administration should be removed from NIMASA and made an open registrar rather than the current closed administration that Nigeria currently operates.
In his address as Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Hassan Bello stated that, “The flag administration, we need to remove it from NIMASA. There must be an independent national flag. Competitive, electronic, just like we find in others. Otherwise, our flag will remain attractive.
“Nigeria is wasting so much energy on cabotage whereas it is supposed to be trading globally. Even though the government needs to come in, SOAN should not wait for government, because it will not happen. However, government has to provide friendly operating climate.
“For indigenous fleet to be profitable, government must be deliberate. We don’t have to have a national fleet to operate. We can use cabotage to aid indigenous participation.”
In her own presentation, a former Director-General/CEO of NIMASA, who is currently the president of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), Barrister (Mrs.) Mfon Usoro disagreed with the argument that Nigeria’s flag registry should be taken from NIMASA.
“NIMASA was created as a flag administrator to develop the market for the ship owners of the flag state, and train the manpower.
“Nevertheless, the current generation has the power to insist that NIMASA should focus on its main function, which is flag administration. You have that chance now; you must not miss the opportunity. And if you want NIMASA to focus on ship registry, you must ensure that priority is given to ship registry.
“Secondly, you have to ensure that the attempt to bring in people who are not contributors of the CVFF is stopped and the initiative fulfils its intentions,” Barrister Usoro stated.
Recall that Article 91 of UNCLOS 111(1982) requires every Country to issue ships the rights to fly its flag which is known as the “certificate of registry”, and the Nigerian Ship Registration Office (NSRO) which is empowered to register ships in Nigeria is domiciled in NIMASA.
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