TWO years after the
United States government gave Nigeria an ultimatum to put its port security in
order, or face sanction, the International Maritime Organization (IMO)
yesterday rated Nigeria high on compliance with International Ship and Port
Facility Security (ISPS) Code.
IMO’s Lead
Consultant, Mr Brian Cranmer, speaking in Lagos at the opening of a five-day
‘train-the-trainer’s programme said the efforts of the Nigerian Maritime
Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in ensuring compliance with the Code is quite commendable.
He said his
conclusion is based on his evaluation of
the programmes the management of the Agency has so far put in place for the
implementation of ISPS Code in Nigeria.
Reinforcing the need for a high level of security consciousness at the ports, Cranmer
said that the restriction of movement in and out of the ports is a step in the
right direction.
“From what I have seen and what I am hearing, NIMASA has a
very good programme in place; they are all trying hard, carrying out
inspections. I have been with them when
they carry out these inspections and they are as good as any other country that
is implementing the ISPS Code.
The port
security is okay, because now, they have systems in place; you cannot just get
into the ports unless you have an identification card.
“The ports that I have
seen, meets the requirements fully, and Nigeria is coming on in leaps and
bounds and I think with NIMASA and the compliance department, the inspections
are in the right direction”, he stated.
The IMO lead consultant said the effort
of the Agency is quite commendable as many countries in Africa and Europe still
find it difficult to meet the demands of the Code.
He however warned against
the incessant movement of staff which could hamper steady progress especially
after some people have been trained in some technical areas. “There is usually
a lot of movement of staff, but you need to keep the staff you have got.
“The
staff you have employed and trained should be technically employed and
technically trained and you keep them, because they are your assets. Once you have trained staff, they understand
how to carry out audits, inspections, how to do the enforcement programme, then
you will find the rest of the programme becomes easy,” Cranmer said. Speaking
earlier,
Dr. Dakuku Peterside, the Director General of NIMASA, said the
training programme was “a demonstration of IMO’s commitment to building
competence among member States in the implementation of key maritime
conventions.”
Peterside said the training is a direct outcome of the IMO Need
Assessment conducted between Jan. 25 and 29, 2016, during which a high standard
of implementation of the ISPS Code was observed and commended.
He said that to sustain the positive
trajectory of the process, the IMO recommended additional training for key
NIMASA personnel and stakeholders in the implementation of the provisions of
the code.
According to the NIMASA boss, the training would avail participants
of a good insight of the DA’s implementation process and a forum for
deliberation on contemporary issues related to ensuring compliance by port
facilities.
He said it will also provide
an invaluable networking opportunity for government stakeholders, the importance
of which aligns with the effort to build a critical mass of support for the
process.
Head of the ISPS Unit in NiMASA, Capt. Green Egbodi, an Assistant
Director in the agency, said no fewer than 30 participants were undergoing the
training. He disclosed that the participants were ISPS officers from NIMASA,
the Nigerian Ports Authority, the National Inland Waterways Authority, and
staff of the Ministry of Transportation.
Capt.
Egbodi said that the training was necessitated by findings from a
Needs Assessment done earlier in January by the IMO, after it had attested to
the country’s compliance with the Code.
In his words: “When they carried out the Need Assessment this year, they
saw some gaps that should be filled, and the whole essence is to make us close
the gaps and make improvements.”
“This ‘train-the-trainer’ training is to train
some of us and we can now escalate the training further to other agencies and
other port facility users in the shipping industry, to make the ports safe.” The training programme, which consists of
workshops would build participants and equip them to be able to train others
through presentations and necessary exercises. VANGUARDNGR
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