- Justice Mohammed Lawan Shuaibu, JCA (left), Executive Director, Finance and Administration (NIMASA), Chudi Offodille, Justice Musa Datti Muhammad, JSC, Director-General, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Prof. Muhammed Tawfiq Lawan, Administrator of National Judicial Institute, Justice Salisu Garba, and Rear Admiral Barabutemegha Jason Gbassa at the Nigerian Admiralty Law Colloquium in Lagos…recently
By Anthony Nwachukwu
Legal experts at the third Nigerian Admiralty Law Colloquium have listed capacity building, relevant legislation and sustained improvement in security, among others, as roadmaps to effective and efficient maritime adjudication and a secure Gulf of Guinea (GoG) region.
The event, organised in Lagos by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), in conjunction with the National Judicial Institute (NJI) and Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), was an avenue for judiciary heads and legal eggheads to brainstorm on curbing maritime criminalities.
In his keynote address, the Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman, NJI Board of Governors, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, stated that with about 71 per cent of the earth’s surface covered by water, the global inclination towards the blue economy and its numerous prospects is inevitable.
Therefore, the theme of this year’s workshop, “Beyond Maritime Security, Threats in the Gulf of Guinea: Harnessing the Gains of Secure Maritime Domain,” created an avenue for capacity building and increased maritime domain awareness.
Represented by Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad of the Supreme Court, Ariwoola noted that “the maritime domain provides direct economic opportunities to a number of African countries, including Nigeria, and facilitates international trade to merchandised goods for all these countries.
“Maritime-related activities such as shipping, port facilities, tourism, fishing, oil and mineral harvesting promote economic growth,” Ariwoola stated.
“It is therefore crucial that we continue the conversation on ways to counter threats and insecurity in this sector by upholding the effective administration of our criminal justice system. I believe that at the end, we will make significant progress in handling cases related to maritime security in our courts.”
He regretted that in spite of the GoG’s vast reserves of hydrocarbon, mineral and fishery resources, armed robbery-at-sea, kidnap of seafarers, illegal fishing, smuggling, trafficking and other organised transnational crimes have remained major threats to its security and economic development.
On his part, the NIMASA Director-General, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, said the theme of the event encompassed a plethora of contemporary issues within the Nigerian maritime domain, which also covers the primary elements of NIMASA’s statutory mandate.
According to Jamoh, who was represented by the Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Chudi Offodile, moving from “discourses around insecurity and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, we are today sufficiently emboldened to move the trend of engagement to another level as we consider the vital issue of harnessing the gains of a secure maritime domain.
“A secure maritime domain is vital to the development and advancement of the world economy. Without effective maritime security measures, the nation’s economic growth will be hampered by the threats posed by piracy, illegal fishing and other criminal activities.
“It is therefore imperative to focus continually on establishing and maintaining a safe and secure maritime environment.”
He said the colloquium would provide a unique opportunity to discuss the strategies, policies and practices necessary to tap the full potential of the Nigerian maritime space, while sustaining the climate of security necessary for development.”
Jamoh further maintained that the current security in the maritime domain has stimulated massive socio-economic development of the country and sub-region, therefore the country needed to maximise “efforts towards the diversification of the Nigerian economy to reduce the almost total dependence on oil.
“As part of the efforts of government to diversify the Nigerian economy, a lot of investments have been made in the agricultural sector, which is commendable, but the real focus should be on the maritime sector, with particular emphasis on the development of the blue economy.
“A well-developed blue economy would be strong enough to service Nigeria’s annual budget because it encompasses all economic activities associated with the oceans and seas.
“However, despite these endowments and abundant resources in its oceans and seas to back its economic diversification and development drive, the country is yet to take full advantage of the emergent ocean economy to expand its revenue base.”
