The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has denied opposing the appointment of Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) to also serving as chairman of the Board.
NIMASA denied any link to the opposition credited to one “Mr. Momoh Alhassan, a staff of the agency”
The agency said: “ We want to state categorically that this is not the position of the Agency.
“The event which was held in Lagos and organised by the Nigerian Customs was intended to sensitise stakeholders and garner feedback on the proposed amendment to the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA). Mr. Momoh Alhassan, though a staff of the Agency was merely expressing his opinion in his personal capacity.”
“NIMASA is not unaware of the correct procedure to be adopted in making its own presentations on matters of this nature which the Agency regards as very important.
“Being a draft law that will be forwarded to the National Assembly for legislative input and passage, the Agency will articulate its position at a public hearing at the National Assembly when the need arises.”
As a responsible organisation, NIMASA said it is dedicated to its core mandate of promoting the development of indigenous commercial shipping in international and coastal trade and the regulation of the maritime industry in Nigeria. “The Agency will therefore always commit to only those ideals that can further this course,” it added.
The statement was in reaction to a report on some online medium that NIMASA kicked against the Comptroller General NCS becoming the Chairman ofNCSB in the proposed amendment to Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA).
It was claimed in the report that NIMASA wanted the minister of finance to chair the board in order to create checks and balances in the system.
It was also claimed in the report that stakeholders like the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) and Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMARTO) and other private organisations and individuals, kicked against Hammed Ali becoming the board chair.
