A former Government Inspector of Ships (GIS), Mr Olu Akinsoji, on Sunday called for the restructuring of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
Akinsoji, the Acting Chairman, Society of Nigerian Mariners (SNM), made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
The marine engineer said there was need to engage technocrats who would restructure the agency (NIMASA) to perform its statutory functions.
“My very serious advice is that both the minister and the new director-general of NIMASA should quickly strengthen their offices with qualified advisers to restructure the agency to perform its functions.
“It (NIMASA) is presently structured for revenue collection,’’ Akinsoji, a former Nigeria’s Alternate Permanent Representative at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) told NAN.
The mariner recalled that his office as the Government Inspector of Ships was merged with the defunct National Maritime Authority (NMA) to create NIMASA.
Akinsoji, who was also a former Sole Administrator of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, Akwa Ibom, faulted the appointment of Dr Dakuku Peterside as the Director-General of the agency.
He said that the qualifications of Peterside did not fit the post.
“The law is very clear on who is qualified to be engaged for that post.
“It is equally clear by simple interpretation that the qualification of the honourable (Peterside) does not fit into the interpretation.
“I wish Peterside a pleasant and successful journey through the maritime domain,’’ the marine engineer said.
A former Director-General of the defunct NMA, Mr John Egesi, had said that “there is a golden lining somewhere in the appointment of Peterside and his qualifications’’.
“Peterside studied Management. He did an MBA and read Economics and Maritime has a lot to do with Economics,’’ Egesi told NAN
The former NMA director-general said that when he looked at the appointment of Peterside with his language of Management Economics, he would understand quicker.
“His knowledge of Management Economics gives him an advantage.
“If he has a listening ear, he might be able to pick up faster than others who had occupied the position.
“We have had architects and lawyers who occupied the position,’’ Egesi told NAN.
The Federal Government, on Thursday, appointed Peterside as the director-general of NIMASA.
He replaced Mr Haruna Jauro, who until March 10, was the Acting Director-General.
Peterside holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Management Sciences (Organisational Behaviour) from the University of Port Harcourt.
He had an MBA in Business Administration; and a degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences (B.MLS) in Haematology from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology.
Peterside was the Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Rivers State in the April 2015 general election.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants of Nigeria (IMCN) and also holds membership of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) as well as Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN).
(NAN)
