Piracy on the rise in Nigerian waters —NIMASA DG

THE Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has bemoaned the rise in piracy attacks in Nigeria’s waters.

He made this known when he hosted the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Ferguson Bobai, at NIMASA headquarters in Lagos State.

According to him, “the operations report made available to us is nothing to cheer about. While there was a drop in the number of vessels coming to our ports, there seemed to be a comparative increase in piracy activities. This means that operationally, both NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy must step up our game in order to guarantee continuous prosperity of Nigeria’s economy.”

While commending the Nigerian Navy for the considerable reduction of criminal activities in the Nigerian territorial waters in the last three months, Dr. Peterside, however, charged stakeholders to do more in order to completely eliminate the scourge.

He acknowledged the existing partnership with the Nigerian Navy which he said had been mutually beneficial, adding that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two agencies is currently being reviewed to make it more effective and beneficial to the entire maritime industry.

“I am confident that the strategies being put in place by the Nigerian Navy including the launch of the FALCON EYE and partnerships with relevant stakeholders would go a long way in addressing the security challenges in our waterways,” the DG said.

He pledged the agency’s continuous collaboration with the Nigerian Navy in the task of promoting a friendly environment for maritime activities in Nigeria.

Earlier in his remarks, Rear Admiral Ferguson Bobai, who said he was in NIMASA for a familiarisation visit after taking over the Western Naval Command, called for greater cooperation between the two agencies for the overall interest of Nigeria.