Mobereola Charges NIMASA Management To Sustain Reforms, Focus On Results

Mobereola Charges NIMASA Management To Sustain Reforms, Focus On Results
By Prince Benson Davies

The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, has called on management and staff to consolidate recent gains and push for measurable improvements in the nation’s maritime sector.

Mobereola gave the charge at a two-day Senior Management Strategy Session held at the Nigeria Maritime Resource Development Centre, Apapa, Lagos. The session focused on the NIMASA Medium-Term Strategic Plan for September 2025 to August 2028.

He said the agency has recorded significant progress under the supervision of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola. Key achievements, he noted, include four consecutive years without piracy incidents in Nigerian waters, Nigeria’s return to the Category C seat of the International Maritime Organisation after 14 years, and the lifting of the 12-year Condition of Entry imposed by the United States Coast Guard on vessels from Nigerian ports.

The DG urged staff to maintain the momentum by adopting a more disciplined, performance-driven approach. He stressed that decisions reached at the strategy session must translate into stronger internal processes and tangible contributions to the growth of the maritime industry.

According to Mobereola, management must clearly identify priority areas, assign responsibilities, set timelines, and ensure that actions deliver verifiable outcomes.

He pointed out that Nigeria now accounts for over 47 per cent of all port calls in the Gulf of Guinea, a position he said places the country at the center of regional maritime activity. He added that NIMASA must leverage this advantage by improving systems and service delivery.

The DG listed ongoing reforms expected to strengthen the agency’s operations. These include the automation of the Ship Registry, review of the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping, STCW, disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund, CVFF, and the automation of NIMASA’s workflow system.

He encouraged participants to engage frankly during the session, question assumptions where necessary, and turn deliberations into concrete action plans.

Mobereola commended staff for their role in the progress achieved so far, noting that the reforms are aimed at enhancing efficiency, transparency, innovation and Nigeria’s reputation in the global maritime community.

The Senior Management Strategy Session is convened periodically to review NIMASA’s direction, reaffirm priorities, and align the agency’s work with its statutory mandate and ministerial deliverables.