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Minister unveils NIMASA zonal office building in Abuja

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The Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo, on Tuesday unveiled the new zonal office of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA) in Abuja.

While giving his opening remarks, the Minister said the role of the agency cannot be understated in the delivery of Nigeria’s economic potential.

He added that there is a strong need to put in place strategic and tangible structures that will yield quantifiable and intangible dividends in the years to come.

According to him, “I am delighted to commission the NIMASA Abuja Zonal Office today, the 16th of May, 2023, here in the Diplomatic Zone of the Central Area, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory.

“As a nation at the cusp of an Economic Renaissance, with boundless opportunities in its Maritime Domain, the role of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency cannot be understated in the delivery of Nigeria’s economic potential.

“However, for us as a nation to achieve our potential, there is a strong need to put in place strategic and tangible structures that will yield quantifiable and intangible dividends in the years to come.

“As we flag-off the Commissioning of all Completed Projects by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, what will become apparent for all to see is the intentionality, commitment and focus of the Federal Government of Nigeria to ensure that the proper foundation is put in place so that as a people, we can continuously build towards a greater tomorrow.”

Sambo further said: “Today, we are gathered here to commission the newly acquired NIMASA Abuja Zonal Office. At the same time, there may be those who will raise questions about the need for a Maritime Administration to secure an office in Abuja, where there is no ocean.

“But I assure you that the acquisition of this office is not to fulfil another bureaucratic justification but due to the responsibilities and functions that the zonal office plays in discharging NIMASA’s mandate.

“The Abuja Zonal Office serves as the nexus point between the NIMASA and the Federal Ministry of Transportation, the National Assembly, and all other relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies, as well as critical stakeholders like the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), amongst others.”

Speaking on the importance of the edifice, the minister stressed that; “The Abuja Zonal Office further oversees the operations of the NIMASA’s Lokoja Safety Base, thereby playing a pivotal role in delivering the Agency’s regulatory responsibilities on safety matters in our inland waterways.

“Therefore, due to the strategic role the Abuja Zonal Office plays, it became imperative to establish a permanent station as several limiting factors encumber the current office from the restrictive nature of operating from a rented property, limiting NIMASAs ability to restructure and modify the facility to meet exigencies necessary to increase productivity, to the long-term financial implications of paying exorbitant rents.

“Apart from the reduction of cost of governance, the New Abuja Zonal Office will serve as the centrepiece of government relations on matters with bilateral and Multilateral implications on International Trade and Cooperation, as such, enable the Agency to host Foreign Diplomats and other key Maritime Stakeholders in the Federal Capital Territory, thereby helping the Agency speedily achieve its mandate especially when they need to reach out to the different arms of Government.”

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