Joyce Mmereole Okoli
The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola, has charged senior management staff of the Agency to consolidate recent achievements and push for greater reforms capable of transforming Nigeria’s maritime sector.
Mobereola gave the charge at a two-day Senior Management Strategy Session on the NIMASA Medium-Term Strategic Plan (September 2025–August 2028), held at the Nigeria Maritime Resource Development Centre, Apapa, Lagos.
The NIMASA boss highlighted a number of landmark achievements recorded under the supervision of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, CON, including four consecutive years without piracy incidents in Nigerian waters, Nigeria’s election into Category C of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council after 14 years, and the 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 the United States.
However, Mobereola warned that these milestones should not become a reason for complacency, urging staff to adopt a more disciplined, performance-driven approach to their responsibilities.
“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.
He noted that the need to consolidate the gains had become even more critical given Nigeria’s growing dominance in the Gulf of Guinea, stressing that the country currently accounts for more than 47 per cent of all port calls in the region.
Mobereola therefore challenged management staff to approach the strategy session with sincerity, focus and accountability, insisting that discussions must translate into measurable outcomes.
He urged participants to be “sincere in discussing their current realities, focused in prioritising the areas that truly move the needle and what we need to do to make progress in those areas,” while ensuring that every agreed action has 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,” the DG said.
While appreciating staff for contributing to what he described as “the most transformative chapter in the history of the Agency,” Mobereola said the ongoing reforms were designed to fundamentally reposition NIMASA and improve Nigeria’s standing in the global maritime community.
According to him, initiatives such as 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 automation of the Agency’s workflow system would significantly reshape its operations.
“We are not merely improving processes; we are building a new foundation for efficiency, transparency, innovation and international recognition,” he said.
The DG stressed that the success of the Medium-Term Strategic Plan would ultimately depend on the ability of the Agency’s management and staff to translate strategic decisions into concrete results.
The Senior Management Strategy Session is periodically convened by NIMASA to review the Agency’s strategic direction, reaffirm priorities and strengthen its resolve towards achieving its statutory mandate and objectives in line with the Ministerial deliverables.