By Anne Ejuka
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) have agreed on modalities for seamless and timely delivery of the Deep Blue Project assets currently at the ports.
The agreement was reached at a meeting between the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh and Comptroller General of NCS, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd.), which was held in the office of the Comptroller General of Customs at the Customs Head quarters in Abuja.
According to the CG “because of the peculiarities of the urgent need of these assets, there is a need to find a common ground that would assist in the full deployment of these assets”
While appreciating the Customs boss for the efforts to clear the Deep Blue Project assets still at the ports, Dr Jamoh urged the Customs to share information and capacity with the Agency to ensure successful implementation of the Deep Blue Project.
The NIMASA DG also raised the issue of the Modular Floating Dock, which he described as a public asset to be managed by the ICRC. He said, "The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) is fully involved in the process to select a management partner for the Modular Floating Dockyard. We urge the Nigeria Customs to see and treat the asset as a national asset that should enjoy some concession in terms of duties;.
He also stated that When it becomes operational, hundreds of direct jobs will be created and thousands of indirect employment will also be created.