Maritime
NIMASA Urges China To Partner Nigeria On Maritime Sector Dev
The Director-General of
the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside, has urged the Chinese Government to collaborate with the Nigerian maritime sector for economic growth.
This is contained in a statement by the Head of Corporate Communication of NIMASA, Hajia Lami Tumaka, obtained by our correspondent in Lagos recently.
The statement said that the director-general received the Acting Chinese Consul-General, Mr. Li Yong, who paid a courtesy visit to the agency
According to him, the Nigerian maritime sector holds the key to unlocking the opportunities of the sector in the whole of Africa because of our strategic location, population and volume of trade.
The statement said if anyone wanted to do business in Africa, Nigeria is the place of choice.
The director-general also stated that the Agency was willing to partner with the Chinese Maritime Administration in the areas of ship building and recycling, on-board training for cadets as well as technical support.
He said that collaboration with various stakeholders across the globe was fundamental to unlocking the maritime opportunities in Nigeria.
Peterside said that cooperation among the Global South countries was the way to drive emerging economies to the height of development.
He commended the Chinese Government for its willingness to strengthen the Nigerian-China relationship as evident in the major developmental projects across the country.
In his response, Yong said that he was happy with the China-Nigerian relationship, adding that the Chinese Central Government was willing to partner with Nigeria in the areas of technological advancement and information sharing.
The Chinese envoy also expressed his government’s determination to support Nigeria in the fight against piracy and other criminal activities at sea.
Meanwhile, the current administration of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has pledged to adhere to statutory due diligence in the administration of the Cabotage Fund.
The NIMASA Director-General (DG), Dr Dakuku Peterside, said that with the clamour for a national shipping line, there was every need to strengthen the administration of the fund.
Peterside told newsmen on the sidelines of a news conference in Lagos on Sunday that the fund was set-up to encourage Nigeria ship owners to be able to acquire and maintain vessels.
The DG regretted the spate of maladministration that had become the lot of the fund in the recent past, which he said, had made it inoperative.
“We are aware of the complaints of the contributors (ship owners) of the fund and their predicament in accessing it.
“The fund, if well administered, will ensure that Nigeria has sea going vessels at all times, with a large number of Nigerian seafarers on board.
“It is a pride to see our national flag hoisted on transnational vessels,’’ Peterside said.
According to him, the idea will absorb many of the country’s trained but idle seafarers, thereby adding to the Nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He added that the administration would tend to emulate countries like the Philippines in exporting seafarers to other countries, thereby stemming piracy on board.
Peterside said that the agency was training middle-cadre manpower at the maritime academy at Oron, while the senior officers were being trained abroad.
He noted that NIMASA’s primary objective did not include the setting-up of a Maritime University, as was being propelled by the ousted leadership of the agency.
“The Cabotage Fund, under the present leadership, will be channelled for what it is meant for and not for a university.
The Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Maritime Command, AIG Yusuf Garba, has charged the officers and men of the command to wake up from their slumber and embrace the IGP’s directive on zero tolerance for corruption.
AIG Garba emphasised that the feat could be achieved through collaboration with sister agencies and members of the public.
A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer of the command, ASP Okoi Arikpo, stated that the police boss also charged the officers on the importance of being prudent and proactive in the line of duty.
He also charged officers and men to be neat while on duty, reminding them of the need to always be punctual on duty as absenteeism from duty resulting in any lapses will not be taken lightly.
“He reminded the officers of the resuming, 30 minutes before the actual time of resumption as it is in the Police Act and regulations.
Recall that the AIG, who recently took charge of the command, has always harped on the integrity of the force.
Customs Area Controller of Seme Border Command, Dr. Ben Aramalagu, has demonstrated his resolve to keep the pace at the foremost Nigeria’s border, raking in a total of N743.728 million as revenue in February 2025 alone.
Within the three weeks of resumption, Dr. Aramalagu made seizures worth N267.054 million (duty paid value), a feat that shows the command’s resolve to continue to deliver even under a new leadership.
The seizures comprise 444 parcels of cannabis sativa, 181 packs of tramadol, 600 bottles of codeine syrup (100ml), 240 kegs of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS).
Others are 1,809 bags of foreign parboiled rice (50kg each), 17 sacks of used shoes, 56 bales of used clothes, and 203 pieces of used tyres that were attempted to be brought into Nigeria through unapproved routes.
Speaking to newsmen while displaying the seizures, Aramalugu said the command’s emphasis will be on unapproved routes where smugglers attempt to bring in what he described as un-customs goods either to evade duty payment or illegally import things on the Federal Government’s import prohibited list.
Aramalagu said the customs under its current Comptroller General, Adewale Bashir Adeniyi, will not relent in meeting the Federal Government’s demand for more revenue in the non-oil sector, including customs duty collection.
He emphasised that the command will not relent in enforcing maximum collection of all revenue due to the Federal Government through duty collection and seizing contraband goods in line with relevant law establishing the customs and its functions.
In his words, “these seizures, which contravene relevant section of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2003 (NCSA 22) reaffirm our commitment to suppressing smuggling within the Seme Border”.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered a $1.4 million fraudul syndicate, led by Mr. Ikoro Mang Ifendu, who impersonated the agency’s officials to scam foreign companies, using fake regulatory documents.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, while addressing newsmen on Friday, disclosed that Ifendu, 52, from Abia State, was arrested on February 7, 2025, at Ogborn Hills, Aba area of the state, in a case of alleged fraud and obtaining huge funds by false pretence from unsuspecting foreigners across various countries, while posing as a staff of the agency.
She said, “He is a native of Amamba Village, Abiriba in Ohafia LGA, Abia State.
“His level of education is SSCE and deals in clothing materials. The suspect is in our custody and is cooperating with the investigation.
“This case was reported by Thani Almaeeni Trading Group, Abu Dhabi, UAE following their application to register Dry Fish (Seafood).
“Thani Almaeeni Trading Group, Abu Dhabi, UAE, and other companies from various countries fell victim to this fraud.
In a petition from Thani Almaeeni Trading Group, reported to NAFDAC of the possible impersonation of the fraudsters as NAFDAC’s officials, using the NAFDAC’s letterhead and name.
“The fraudsters, headed by Mr. Ikoro Mang Ifendu, have duped the company thousands of dollars and millions of naira.
“These fraudsters or syndicate operate in a three-pronged scheme involving the Buyer, Bank, and Lawyer.
“Initially, the buyer contacts foreign companies to purchase and import goods into Nigeria. Subsequently, they introduce these companies to any of these banks for payment.
“The bank then declares that due to the lack of NAFDAC approval, the foreign companies are unable to export to Nigeria. Afterward, a legal counsel is introduced to the companies, claiming that they can obtain NAFDAC Certificate through this lawyer.
“The lawyer then receives payments in stages and issues fraudulent receipts and counterfeit of NAFDAC certificates to the companies.”
Mrs. Adeyeye said the agency’s investigation revealed that the group operates 15 domiciliary and 5 local accounts in 7 Nigerian banks.
She noted that the account in one of the banks has a Bank Verification Number (BVN) that is being used by the 2 key members of the group, Ikoro Mang Ifendu and Rosemary Obosi.
“The exact number of the Accounts have not been established, because the suspect had deleted some of the Accounts and the alert messages.
“The tentative cumulative inflow from different victims into the Domiciliary Accounts in Nigeria is estimated to be over $950,000USD, while the sum of $450,000USD is the estimated inflow into the accounts held offshore in Cotonou, Benin Republic.
srl, for registration of products with NAFDAC; Tianyan Filter Cloth Co. Ltd, Gonghexin Road, Jingan District, Shanghai, China; Siam Canadian China Ltd., Frozen Onion Spices, Zhanjiang Guangdong, China.”
The DG continued: “After exhausting the link to falsification of NAFDAC regulated products, this case will be transferred to EFCC for further investigation.
“This is to expand the investigation to other areas that are not within the mandate of NAFDAC. The investigation will also invoke POCA on all the assets illegally acquired in the course of the fraudulent activities.”
Adeyeye disclosed that the regulatory body has strengthened the activities of Investigation and Enforcement and Federal Task Force by reconstituting and changing the architecture and increasing the number of Investigating Police Officers of the Police Squad and Mobile Police attached to the Agency.
“The Honourable Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare will soon inaugurate the reconstituted Federal Task Force and by extension the State Task Forces to compliment the activities of the Agency in the States,” she stated.
The NAFDAC boss urged the public not to transact business with any company that parades itself as a consulting firm for registration of products.\
By: Stories by Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos