Nation
NIMASA, Navy Bicker Over Hydrographic Survey Bill
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, on Monday, expressed opposition to the Hydrographic Survey bill.
The agency opposed the bill over what it called “apparent militarisation” of the yet to be created agency.
The position of the agency was presented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Magdalene Ajayi, at the public hearing on the bill organised by the House Committee on Navy.
NIMASA, at the hearing, adopted the position of the ministry of transportation.
The bill, sponsored by Yusuf Gagdi (APC, Plateau), who is also the chairman of the committee on Navy, seeks to create the agency, under the Nigerian Navy, with the mandate to be in charge of survey and charting of waterways.
The bill was introduced on 23 July, 2020 and passed for second reading on 8 December, 2020.
Mrs Ajayi said: “Hydrography is important to both military and civil authority, but the bill seeks to make hydrography the primary responsibility of the Navy”.
“There seems to be an apparent militarisation of the proposed agency. Hydrography as a discipline is subject to both military and civil authorities worldwide. Hydrographic services are relevant to naval authority, to commercial shipping entities.
“The present bill appears to situate the subject as of primary interest only to the Navy, leading to an error, in our view, in establishing a national agency as an arm to the Nigerian Navy. The emphasis is National.
“Appointment of the hydrographer of the nation under section 5 ‘shall be subject to the provision of the armed forces Act’. The implication of this, and other related provisions in our laws, is that a non-military person cannot be appointed as the hydrographer of the nation, no matter how eminently qualified that person is. It is, therefore, in the opinion of the ministry of transportation that it will have negative consequences on a national agency.
“The agency should be set up as an open institution in collaboration between the military and civil authorities, in order to attract the best professionals, wherever they may be.”
She added that the bill conflicts with some functions of NIMASA.
Responding to the position of the Ministry of Transportation, the Hydrographer of the Navy, Chukwuemeka Okafor, a rear admiral, said “hydrography is too vital to the national security of the country, hence, the agency cannot be domiciled with any civilian agency”.
He noted that the data that are collected mostly have implications on defence.
He added that the country is losing out due to lack of proper charting of waterways.
“Hydrography has national security implications, during a hydrographic survey on a particular body of water, a huge volume of information is acquired from that area, only a small percentage of this is released as civil hydrography, other information that facilitates military operations in that area are kept in a restricted area, and released to the appropriate arms of the military for national defence.
“Saying this without prejudice that there is nothing like civil and military hydrography, once you deploy a sensor in the water, the sensor will capture every information about that body of water, and when that information comes to the shore, the office where it is processed will analyse, the civil and defence information. It will be a huge National Security mistake to domicile this agency in the arms of a purely civil institution.”
The office of the Surveyor-General also made a case that the agency should be under its control.
The Surveyor-General of the Federation, Adeniran Taiwo, while speaking at the hearing, welcomed the bill but noted that his office should superintend over the proposed agency.
“The Office of the surveyor General of the Federation should superintend over this proposed Agency. This is in line with the provision of the Survey Coordination Act CAP. S17 LFN 2004,” he said.
The chairman of the committee said the recommendation of all the agencies will be attached to the bill when it is transmitted to the president if passed by the lawmakers.
The Rivers state Government has identified six local government areas with the highest burden of maternal and Neonatal mortality in the state.
State Commissioner for Health Dr Adaeze Chidinma Oreh said this in an interview with newsmen at the Maternal and Neonatal Reduction innovation initiative ( Mamii)Rivers state activation workshop and state engagement meeting in Port Harcourt.
The event was organized by The Federal Ministry of Health in conjunction with its Rivers state counterpart in Port Harcourt.
Dr Oreh also restated the preparedness of the state government to support current efforts by the federal government towards the reduction of maternal and infant mortalities in the country.
She mentioned the affected Local Government Areas to include, Andoni,Akuku Toru and Ahoada West
The rest according to the Commissioner are, Bonny, Etche and Emohua Local Government Areas.
She said the workshop will enable the team from the federal ministry of health and social welfare to brainstorm with the view to finding solution to the problem.
The Commissioner also gave reasons why the Mamii initiative was the best as far as finding solution to maternal mortality was concerned.
“The uniqueness of the Mamii initiative driven by the federal ministry of health and social welfare was that we used evidence to elicit the reasons for this deaths, so that the solutions will be context specific and tailored to the particular environment where those deaths are occuring
“For us in Rivers state we have six Mamii LGAs , nationally we we have 172 local government areas “the Commissioner said.
Earlier in her opening remarks,Dr Oreh said the state government is prepared to work with the federal ministry of health and social welfare to check the rate of maternal mortality in the state.
She commended The Minister of Health and Social welfare Professor Ali Muhammad Pategi for driving the Mamii initiative across the country and expressed optimism that the programm will see to the end of maternal mortality in the country.
Also speaking the National Coordinator Nigeria health sector Renewal Initiative Dr Adam Ahmed said Rivers state is the last state among Mamii states in the country to host the team.
He said the team will visit the affected Local Government Areas with the view to interacting with the people on how to check the trend.
He expressed the hope that with continuous efforts, maternal mortality will be checked.
Also speaking the permanent secretary Rivers state Ministry of Health Professor Justinah Jumbo said the government is not leaving any stone unturned towards reduction in maternal deaths.
The permanent secretary said Governor Siminalaye Fubara is a health friendly Governor who is desirous in improving the quality of health of Rivers people.
John Bibor
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Rivers state has declared a one day fasting and prayer to seek divine intervention on the political crisis rocking the state.
The Association said this at a media briefing in Port Harcourt.
State chairman of the Association,Most Rev. Dokiboeriya B. Kaladokubo said the fasting and prayer which holds February 5th at the Ecumenical center Abonnema wharf was in furtherance of the Association peace, advocacy, good governance and political stability in Rivers state.
He said the Association has observed with disappointment the dangerous trend and and gradual descent of governance in Rivers state into uncertainty and near oblivion, adding that the trend has exposed Rivers citizens to insecurity, economic hardship, loss of livelihood and the destruction of lives and property.
Kaladokubo said the association has also watched with dismay the unfolding political crisis in the state, stressing “what we see today is not merely a disagreement among political actors,it is a dangerous drift that threatens the very foundation of governance, peace, security and the collective well-being of our people”
According to him,”as the custodians of the spiritual and moral conscience of Rivers state,we can not remain silent while the state is pushed steadily towards chaos, institutional breakdown and avoidable suffering
“We are not oblivious of the fact that Rivers state like some other states in the federation often experience tension between the Executive and the Legislature “adding”when disagreement escalate they can hinder governance, delay budgets ,erode public trust and impede peaceful, constructive development”
The Christian body stressed the need for parties involved in the conflict to seek for peaceful resolution, stressing that as Christians and children of God “we should seek the path of peace and reconciliation as Christ Himself taught us”it said
The Association further encourage the both arms of government to imbibe the spirit of forgiveness and prioritize good governance in Rivers state
“We also advised all the parties in these conflict to call their supporters to exercise restraint in all their utterances and de-escalate tension in the interest of peace in Rivers state ”
CAN also described as disturbing the role some elder statesmen and individuals in the state have played and continue to play in the crisis when they should have serve as voices of wisdom, restraint and unity
“Rather than guiding the process towards peace, some have taken sides,fueled division and encouraged instability becoming more dangerous than those currently holding power”,it said.
John Bibor
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