- Jamoh
By Anthony Nwachukwu
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Army are set to cooperate in the training and retraining of journalists and other public communication practitioners in the country’s security sector.
This was agreed at a meeting in Lagos between the management of NIMASA, led by the Director General, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, and a team from the Nigerian Army School of Public Relations and Information (NASPRI), led by the Ag Commandant, Col. Aliyu Yusuf.
Jamoh noted that the cordial relationship between NIMASA and the Armed Forces, especially the Nigerian Army, plays a leading role in the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure (the Deep Blue Project), domiciled at the agency.
According to him, “both establishments are working towards the same goal of national security and development. The Nigerian Army is a strategic partner in our search for maritime security; it plays a critical role in the Deep Blue Project.
“We are happy to work with you in the dissemination of information on national security issues. We have a responsibility to manage security information in ways that would engender confidence in the polity – and not endanger the country.”
Jamoh, who disclosed that NIMASA was planning a media academy for the training of maritime journalists, added that the agency’s Public Relations Unit would interface with NASPRI to formulate a robust curriculum and information sharing method that would serve NIMASA and the army in their respective mandates.
Earlier, Yusuf, who noted that NASPRI had trained many maritime journalists, members of the Armed Forces and others involved in security reporting, had commended the warm relationship between the Nigerian Army and NIMASA, even as he looked forward to more collaboration between them.
