Indications have emerged that the Federal Government has not dropped its plans to include the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency among revenue generating agencies.
The Bola Tinubu-led administration in June revealed its plan to include NIMASA among revenue generating agencies of the Federal Government, a move advised against by leading maritime stakeholders, including a former director-general of the agency, Ade Dosunmu.
The Nigerian Economy gathered that the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh have been invited and had discussions with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the National Assembly Joint Committee on Finance during a public Hearing on the nation’s budget.
The discussions on how to implement Federal Government policies with long and medium term effects in focus held in Abuja featured the NIMASA boss prominently.
Details of the discussions are not available to The Nigerian Economy yet. However, Jamoh was in an engaging session at the Public Hearing on the 2024-2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) organised by the Joint Committee on Finance, Appropriation, National Planning and Economic Affairs and Local and Foreign Debts.
“He exchanged ideas with Zacch Adedeji the Executive Chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS and Sani Musa the Chairman Senate Committee on Finance at the session chaired by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio in an effort to attain optimal implementation of the MTEF and FSP which will provide a comprehensive framework for prudent fiscal management and resource allocation,” NIMASA’s spokesman, Edward Osagie stated.
Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA Dr Bashir Jamoh, OFR (right) and Executive Chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, Zacch Adedeji during the Public Hearing on the 2024-2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) in Abuja.
The MTEF is a multi-year (3years) budget structure with at least four components, which include a top-down estimate of aggregate resources available for public spending; bottom-up coasted sector programmes; reconciliation of needs with resource constraints for sectoral resource allocation; and ensuring that budget execution reflects agreed plans.
A former Director-General of NIMASA, Ade Dosunmu, had in June advised against the Federal Government plans to conscript NIMASA as a revenue agency, insisting that NIMASA is not a revenue agency as purportedly classified by the Presidential Policy Advisory Group set up by President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement issued to the media and obtained by The Nigerian Economy, Dosunmu said his attention had been drawn to speculation purported to have emanated from the Presidential Policy Advisory group erroneously classifying NIMASA as a revenue generating agency, thereby proposing a merger of NIMASA, the Nigeria Customs Service and FIRS. He described the development as “a very serious misconception and dangerous for the future of shipping and maritime industry in Nigeria.”
He stated: “NIMASA) was created in 2007 following the merger of National Maritime Authority (NMA) and Joint Maritime Labour Industrial Council (JOMALIC) deriving its powers from Merchant Shipping Act, 2007, NIMASA Act, 2007 and Coastal and Inland shipping (cabotage) Act, 2003. The Agency, is a Maritime Safety Administration responsible for regulating shipping activities in Nigeria with a view to achieving safer shipping and cleaner oceans as mandated by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) through its various Conventions and Protocols.”
