The Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (SOAN) has faulted the call for merger of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), describing such calls as dangerous for the maritime industry.
Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune exclusively, President of SOAN, Dr MK George Onyung explained that NIMASA is a creation of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), and thus cannot be merged with any government agency under any guise.
According to the SOAN President, “The agency called NIMASA is a creation of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), which is an arm of the United Nations. There is no way an agency that is guided under the principles of the IMO, an arm of the UN, will now be merged with tax regulating agencies of government who report to the Federal Ministry of Finance.
“The funds that NIMASA raises is different from the funds that agencies of government like FIRS and Customs raise. The fund that NIMASA raises is for the development of the maritime industry, which falls under the oversight of the IMO.
“The funds that NIMASA raises is supposed to be used to ensure that the oceans and seas are safe enough for ships coming from other countries to use. Such funds are not meant to be used to shore up the revenue base of the Federal Government.
“Remember, the oceans have no boundary. It is an entity that is controlled by the UN. So, for funds generated by NIMASA to be going into the same coffers as that of the FIRS or Customs does not make any sense.
“There is a law setting up NIMASA, and the agency as the Maritime Administration recognised by the IMO has responsibilities to fulfil as regards the safety of our waters.
“We at SOAN will like to use this medium to advise Mr. President not to listen to such advice. Infact, what we are clamouring for is that the maritime industry should have a Minister that will be a square peg in a square hole.
“The maritime industry is the key to unlock the prosperity of this country. After oil, it is maritime. If Nigeria had no oil, the maritime industry would have been number one revenue earner for us.
“Globally, the maritime industry is a $24 trillion business. Are we saying that a $24 trillion sector will now be controlled by a tax agency?
“If NIMASA is merged with revenue generating agencies in Nigeria, how will the agency fully go into its core mandate which is ship development and ship acquisition?
“It is when NIMASA fully goes into its core business of shipping development and ship acquisition that businesses that will raise the desired taxes that the Federal Government wants will emerge. It is when the potentials of NIMASA is fully allowed to grow, that business will thrive and generate the desired taxes that government wants.”
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