MASECA Bill: Proponents Still Hell Bent - Capt. Oniye

By ZION Olalekan |

Coming on the heels of a public hearing held last week by the House of Representatives Committee on Maritime Administration, Safety and Education on the Maritime Security Agency Bill (MASECA) one of the promoters of the Bill, Captain Alfred Oniye has said that the proponents of the bill are still leading the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Navy by two votes to one.

The sponsor in a chat with Nigerianmaritime360.com alleged that most of the votes recorded in favour of the Bill were sent by some powerful Nigerians to the House of Representatives through official voting.

Recall that the Navy, NIMASA, Maritime Workers Union, the Nigerian Shipowners Association, Merchant Navy Officers Association as well as other industry stakeholders had kicked against the bill, saying that it would lead to multiplicity of agencies.

But speaking with our correspondent, the reliable source stated that the stakeholders would be ambushed at the technical hearing on the bill which is billed to come up in September.

“The bill is in our favour and that is why they are making noise, thousands of them cannot stop the bill, what we are waiting for now is the technical hearing. Where we got ahead of them was in the official voting, people sent in their votes, and by the time they began to vote, we were still two votes ahead of NIMASA and Navy.

“There must be a support note that people sent to the house from stakeholders, out of the more than 40 that were received, we had more than NIMASA and Nigerian Navy”

“NIMASA was busy sponsoring people to come to the house and oppose the bill but they don’t have a point, all they are troubled about is the duplication of duties”

“If the Nigerian Navy alone can secure the waters, why did the Minister of transportation, Amaechi contract the security of the waterways to an Israeli firm? It is because he knew that NIMASA and the Navy have failed.

“We have over 6,000 creeks in this country and Nigerian Navy only covers 37, and you say they are working.

“The house knows that this Bill is a must, and even the MWUN and others know that there are strong forces behind the bill, all we are saying is that we want this industry to work.

“It is the seafarers that are being killed as a result of this insecurity, when vessels are boarded by pirates, it is the seafarers that are killed, other people who have spoken against the bill are making money from the insecurity, but seafarers are dying every day and they want us to keep quiet”.