Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has said that the agency will ensure that Nigerians benefit optimally from shipping and also assured that the maritime domain will be safe, secured and clean for all to do business.

He stated this shortly after receiving the TELL Award of Excellence for the 2016 Public Organization of the year 2016 on Saturday night in Lagos.

Dr. Peterside noted that the award is to challenge the Agency to continue in its quest to improve on the ease of doing business in the Nigerian maritime domain, and assured investors in the Nigerian maritime of the safety of their investment.

He assured Nigerians that the agency is leaving no stone unturned in curbing piracy activities in the Gulf of Guinea.

In his words, “We are working every day to put things right. The Maritime Security Architecture which the Federal Government of Nigeria is putting in place is to significantly curb sea robbery and piracy on our waterways. We also have the Anti Piracy Bill which will go a long way in aiding our fight against all maritime crimes when it’s passed into law.”

While thanking the organisers and Nigerians for finding NIMASA worthy of the Award, Dr. Peterside thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for his foresight in appointing the present Management team of NIMASA and dedicated the award to the Board, Management staff of the agency, and all stakeholders for their support in discharging its core mandates.

Other recipients of the awards include Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who emerged winner in the National Icon of Democracy category, Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State as the Governor of the Year, Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, as the Woman of the Year, and late Dele Giwa as the all-time “National Icon of Freedom of Speech”, amongst others.

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