Home NEWS Speaker Gbajabiamila Sees Maritime As A Vehicle For Buhari’s Economic Recovery

Speaker Gbajabiamila Sees Maritime As A Vehicle For Buhari’s Economic Recovery

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila has described maritime as a vehicle for the successful implementation of the President Muhammadu Buhari government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

The speaker, who spoke yesterday, July 25 at a ceremony hosted by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in Lagos, pledged that the legislature would support efforts by the executive to ensure sustainable management of the country’s vast marine resources.

The ceremony was held to mark this year’s African Day of Seas and Oceans, with the theme, “Harnessing Nigeria’s Marine Biodiversity for Accelerated Economic Growth.”

Gbajabiamila, who was represented by Linda Ikpeazu, said: “efficient management and sustainable exploitation of the marine resources in our seas and oceans, no doubt, provide a veritable tool for our Economic Recovery and Growth Plan as a country and give expression to our sustainable development goals.

“We will support the sustainable governance of Nigeria’s seas and oceans and the efforts of the executive arm of government that would see the effective domestication of relevant international conventions of the International Maritime Organisation on marine environment management through legislative enactments.

“The National Assembly would also work with the executive arm in putting in place the necessary legal framework for the Blue Economy to engender and protect the Nigerian marine environment and development of the ocean economy.”

See also:  I'm Set To Implement Civil Service Commission In FCT, Come Rain Come Shine - Wike

In his remark, the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, disclosed that the Agency had sent six International Maritime Organisation (IMO) instruments to the Federal Government for ratification as part of efforts to ensure sustainable management of the marine environment.

Dakuku reiterated NIMASA’s critical focus on the development and protection of the marine environment, saying: “our efforts in this area have been recognised by the International Maritime Organisation.”

He listed the marine environment management instruments forwarded to the government for ratification to include: the Hong Kong Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009; International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel; the Protocol Relating to Intervention on the High Seas in Cases of Oil Pollution Casualties Intervention), 1973; and Protocol on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims (LLMC), 1996.

Speaking also, the Chairperson, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Common Services, Dr. Bakare Wadinga, said that maritime security and development were a top priority of the Federal Government in the execution of the ERGP.

Leave a Reply