NIMASA DG Charges Staff to Consolidate Gains,Drive Progress

By Sandra Chukwunyere

The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola has charged staff of the Agency to build on the gains of the Agency in the last few years in order to drive further progress.

Dr. Mobereola who said this at a 2-day Senior Management Strategy Session on the NIMASA Medium-Term Strategic Plan (September 2025- August 2028) hosted at the Nigeria Maritime Resource Development Centre, Apapa, Lagos, listed the achievements recorded under the supervision of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola CON, to include four consecutive years of zero piracy incidents in Nigerian waters, Nigeria’s election into the Category C of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) after 14 years, and lifting of the 12-year Condition of Entry (CoE) imposed by the United States Coast Guard on vessels originating from Nigerian ports and destined for USA among others.

The DG challenged staff not to rest on their oars emphasising that sustaining and building on these gains requires a more disciplined and performance-driven approach.

In his words, “sustaining and building on these gains requires a more disciplined, performance-driven approach, and the decisions we take here will not only shape our internal processes but also impact the broader trajectory of Nigeria’s maritime sector”.

He said the import of this charge becomes even more telling considering the fact that Nigeria today accounts for over 47% of all port calls in the Gulf of Guinea, which has clearly positioned the nation as the dominant maritime hub in the region.

Dr. Mobereola therefore urged management staff at the session to be “sincere in discussing their current realities, focused in prioritizing the areas that truly move the needle and what we need to do to make progress in those areas as well as being accountable to ensure that every outcome from this session must translate into clear ownership, timelines, and measurable results.

“This is a good place for constructive engagement where ideas can be challenged, refined, and transformed into actionable strategies. The strength of this Agency lies in our collective expertise, and we must leverage that fully”, he said.

While appreciating all staff for being part of what he referred to as the most transformative chapter in the history of the Agency, the DG added that “we are not merely improving processes; we are building a new foundation for efficiency, transparency, innovation and international recognition. The automation of the Ship Registry, the review of STCW, the disbursement of the CVFF, the automation of our workflow system, and several other reforms are initiatives that will fundamentally change the way we operate and how Nigeria is perceived globally”.

The Senior Management Strategy Session is periodically hosted to collectively review the direction, reaffirm priorities and strengthen the resolve towards achieving the Agency’s objectives and statutory mandate in line with the Ministerial deliverables.