WikiLeaks Puts NIMASA In The Spotlight — The Nation

WikiLeaks, the international whistle-blower reputed for revealing top secrets in high places has given a damning verdict on the current board and management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), alleging that it is peopled by grossly incompetent professionals.

In a classified cable titled: ‘CONFIDENTIAL SECTION 01 OF 02 LAGOS 000044 SIPDIS E.O. 12958′ exclusively obtained by The Nation, the Julian Assange-led WikiLeaks was equally unsparing of the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, which it blame for allegedly truncating the progressive moves made by a former Director General of the maritime agency, Temisanren Omatseye, by placing merit on the altar of mediocrity, a development, the whistle-blower said has been counterproductive.

The Nation report continues:

According to the classified documents, Donna Blair, the Consul General reportedly paid a courtesy visit to NIMASA on December 22, and they were taken on a tour of the maritime agency’s training and operations centre in Kirikiri, Lagos to highlight current capacity, shortfalls and strategic plans.

In a summary of the report on US Ambassador’s visit, WikiLeaks revealed that “the Ex-DG of NIMASA, Temisanren Omatseye used a tour of NIMASA’s training and operations center in Kirikiri, Lagos on December 22 to highlight current capacity, shortfalls, budget, proposals, and strategic plans to the Ambassador and Pol/Econ Officer (Political Economic Officer). NIMASA has taken the first steps toward establishing safety and security in Nigerian waters, but it requires considerable assistance in further capacity building. NIMASA is also engaging the GON with respect to training ex-militants in the context of the post-amnesty program.”

On shortfalls in capacity, the online portal, which was co-founded by Assange, the Australian journalist in October 2006, further stated that: “Omatseye, NIMASA former DG gave the Ambassador and Pol/EconOff, a tour of NIMASA’s training and operations centre at Kirikiri, Lagos on December 22 including a brief meeting with the NIMASA board of directors. Omatseye highlighted both the improvements made in NIMASA’s capacities and the existing shortfalls. NIMASA is currently capable of receiving and recording any distress signals from vessels operating along the West African coast, but has no capacity to respond.

“NIMASA also has a Regional Maritime Awareness Capability (RMAC) repeater station which provides the capacity to see and identify ships up to 30 nautical miles off-shore, but wants to be able to monitor ship movements 200 nautical miles off shore. NIMASA possesses one search and rescue helicopter but has no capacity to do aerial surveillance. NIMASA maintains has a small twenty-four-hour health unit that can provide first aid and do triage, but not respond to major emergencies or do surgery. There is a helipad on the facilities, but the jetty and maintenance workshops are still under construction.”

The online portal further revealed that: “Omatseye’s proposed budget for 2010 totaling 46 billion naira (USD 306 million) includes funding for the purchase of 28 patrol boats, one additional helicopter and the purchase of a long range tracking system with capacity up to 220 nautical miles. (NOTE: Nigerian media reported November 27 that NIMASA had signed a services agreement with International Mobile Satellite Organization (ISMO) of the United Kingdom (UK) for a Long Range Identification Tracking System. Other plans includes: locating a workshop for the patrol boats on the premises for oversight and control purposes but out-sourcing the actual maintenance work. In addition, Omatseye is looking into ways to cooperate with the Nigerian Air Force, which recently acquired assets suitable for conducting aerial surveillance.”

The report further noted that: “150 of these ships are off-shore according to the Indigenous Shipowners’ Association and their lights create a false shoreline at night. Contacts in the shipping community suspect that armed sea robbers and pirates use these derelict ships as their base of operations for launching attacks on vessels awaiting entrance to Lagos or already alongside at Lagos port. These ships are hazards to navigation and their anchors have cut telecommunications cables in the past. Omatseye wishes these vessels to anchor outside the shipping lanes into Lagos harbor.”

The Nation also gathered that the Department of Commerce, Energy & Treasury, having studied the reports earlier submitted by the American Ambassador to Nigeria on NIMASA under Omatseye’s tenure, observed that: “Omatseye is a dynamic leader with a palpable will to improve Nigeria’s maritime environment with respect to security, safety, pollution and economic opportunities. He launched a number of initiatives that are already bearing fruits such as the installation of RMAC, the acquisition of scavenger boats to address the pollution in Lagos harbor, the budget proposals for patrol boats, helicopters and Long Range Tracking Systems.

“However, he appears to be operating in a legal grey-zone. There are no clear sanctions for many of the practices (e.g. failure to use AIS, anchoring in sea lanes) he wishes to prohibit. Likewise, NIMASA’s mandate to develop into an independent law enforcement arm similar to the USCG is, at best, ambivalent.Further legislation is probably needed. Nevertheless, supporting NIMASA’s vigorous efforts to increase its capacity are in U.S.’ interests in the short and medium term.”