NIMASA seeks synergy with NCS

• Says partnership’llaideconomic growth

The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside has expressed the willingness of the agency to partner with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to bring the desired growth and development to the Nigerian maritime industry and by extension the Nigerian economy.

The proposed areas of partnership are; Nigerian Integrated Customs Information System (NICIS), the National Single Window Project and Maritime Security all geared towards enhancing productivity in the sector, transparency, plugging revenue leakages and ensuring maritime security among others. According to the Dakuku “The Nigerian Customs and NIMASA are both working to accomplish one purpose, which is to facilitate trade to our country, enhance the revenue of government and ensure that those who do business with us respects the laws of our lands and that ultimately they don’t take advantage of our people. As we are all working towards a common purpose, this even becomes more glaring with the new leadership of our both Agencies”.

Responding, the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Col. Hammed Ali (Rtd.) expressed optimism that the renewed partnership between both organs of Government will bring about the growth of the sector and the economy as a whole.
“Gone are the days that we feel we should do it alone, today the dynamics have changed, technology has given us a platform whereby we can achieve a lot, share information and also distribution of responsibility, I therefore feel NIMASA is one of the organisations we need to partner with so your coming is to strengthen the already existing relationship,” the CG said.
He also assured NIMASA of the readiness of the NCS to partner with NIMASA in the aforementioned areas, noting that “no single government agency can work alone; we all need to work together for the good of this country.