President Muhammadu Buhari refused to renew the tenure of Dr. Dakuku Peterside as the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) due to his inability to develop indigenous shipping thereby losing industry operators’ goodwill.
Among the list include his failure to curb piracy and armed robbery at sea; and failure to maintain a harmonious relationship with federal lawmakers.
Dr. Bashir Jamoh, an in-law to the president has been tipped as the new Director-General of the apex maritime regulatory agency.
Jamoh, before his appointment, was the Executive Director, Finance and Administration at NIMASA.
Inside sources say Peterside was unable to realize the desires of Buhari to utilize indigenous shipping as a fulcrum of national development.
He was also taunted to have failed to increase the maritime industry’s contribution to employment generation and the Gross Domestic Product.
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The sources added that Peterside’s academic approach, rather than a pragmatic approach in running the affairs of the agency did not impress the president.
“It has all been hot air. You hear a lot of grammar with little or no progress. This is not what the Federal Government wants. The President of Nigeria wants to create jobs for seafarers; he wants Nigerian shipping companies to be meaningfully engaged; he wants them to lift Nigeria’s crude oil and to implement the Cabotage Law.
“President Buhari is keen on developing the Nigerian economy and the shipping sector is important in this regard, so we need to have someone who enjoys the goodwill of the maritime industry players and who can propel the industry forward in practical terms,” the official said.
