The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has welcomed the plan by the European Union (EU) to invest over 20 million euros on maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.
The DG stated this when he received a delegation of the EU consultants led by Mr. Chris Hedley in his office on Monday.
Peterside commended the EU for such an initiative and also called on other partners to collaborate with the agency and Nigeria to eradicate the piracy and other criminal activities in the Gulf of Guinea.
He said, “more than ever, Nigeria is better positioned to take advantage of strategic partnerships to make the country the hub of maritime activities in West and Central Africa”.
The NIMASA boss, who observed that the Gulf of Guinea is very strategic to world trade, also assured the delegation of the agency’s determination to tackle the menace of crime at sea in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
In his address, Mr. Chris Hedley said that the EU planned to use the funds in developing and strengthening legislations, building capacity in maritime security and developing the necessary Information Technology (IT) for member-nations with a view to eradicating piracy and other related crimes in the Gulf of Guinea.