Back row, from left: Consultant, Kainos Edge Consulting, Mr. Jibiya Jibrin; Head, Special Duties, NIMASA, Engr Patrick Eigbe; Director, Maritime Labour, NIMASA, Mr. Ibrahim Sidi Umar; Coordinator, Eastern Zone, NIMASA, Capt. Abayomi Coker; Head, Marine Accident and Investigation, NIMASA, Engr. Taiwo Olaniyan; Consultant, Kainos Edge Consulting, Mr. Alonge Oladeji; Head, Deep Blue, NIMASA, Mrs. Gladys Owolabi; and Special Adviser to the DG, NIMASA, Engr.Tunji Ahmed, at the session.
The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola, has challenged the agency’s management and staff to consolidate recent achievements and pursue further reforms capable of strengthening Nigeria’s position as a leading maritime hub.
Mobereola gave the charge during a two-day Senior Management Strategy Session on the NIMASA Medium-Term Strategic Plan (September 2025 to August 2028), held at the Nigeria Maritime Resource Development Centre, Apapa, Lagos.
The Director General said the strategy session was critical to reviewing the agency’s progress, identifying areas requiring renewed attention and translating strategic decisions into measurable results.
He highlighted several milestones recorded by NIMASA under the supervision of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, 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 imposed by the United States Coast Guard on vessels originating from Nigerian ports and destined for the United States.
Mobereola, however, cautioned management and staff against becoming complacent, stressing that the sustainability of the gains required greater discipline, accountability and a performance-driven approach.
“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 strengthen the sector had become more compelling given Nigeria’s growing prominence in the Gulf of Guinea, where the country currently accounts for more than 47 per cent of all port calls.
According to him, the development further reinforces Nigeria’s position as a dominant maritime hub in the region and places greater responsibility on NIMASA to ensure that its regulatory and operational systems remain efficient and responsive.
The NIMASA boss urged senior management officials participating in the strategy session to be candid in assessing the agency’s current realities, focused in identifying priorities and accountable for delivering agreed outcomes.
He said every decision reached at the session must translate into clear ownership, defined 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”, Mobereola said.
Mobereola expressed appreciation to staff for their contributions to what he described as one of the most transformative chapters in NIMASA’s history.
He said the agency’s ongoing reforms were designed not merely to improve internal processes but to establish a stronger foundation for efficiency, transparency, innovation and international recognition.
Among the reforms highlighted were the automation of the Ship Registry, review of the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) framework, disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF), automation of the agency’s workflow system and other institutional reforms.
“These initiatives will fundamentally change the way we operate and how Nigeria is perceived globally”, he said.
The Senior Management Strategy Session is periodically convened by NIMASA to review the agency’s strategic direction, reaffirm priorities and strengthen its commitment to achieving its objectives and statutory mandate in line with the ministerial deliverables.