The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside has stressed the need for collaborative efforts to tackle the scourge of climate change.

Dakuku stated this while speaking at an event on climate change, which was organised by Senator Florence Ita-Giwa-led Cross Rivers State Calabar Carnival Award-winning Seagull Band, in conjunction with NIMASA and Heritage Bank recently held at the Oriental Hotel in Lagos.

The DG, who was represented by the Agency’s Director of Marine Environment Management Department, Mrs. Sussana Asagwara, said that climate change is now a serious global concern citing the recent Hurricane Harvey and Irma ravaging some parts of the United States as one of the effects.

“Climate change presents a serious cause for concern to humankind. The frightening phenomenon has completely altered the atmospheric composition of the earth leading to an intense warming of the globe. It has continued to pose unquantifiable threat to human social, political and economic development. Of great devastating effects is the unprecedented destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma in Texas and Florida respectively,” the DG said.

Peterside also added that the global effects of climate change had challenged every country across the globe to scamper for mitigating factors.

“Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as it is now evident in over 193 countries including Nigeria. These countries are no longer standing aloof; they are taking heed to tame this monster. On a global scale, climate change is having profound impact on ocean warming, decrease in polar ice and glacier, increase in extreme storm events and their intensity, sea level rise and coastal flooding all of which severely affect lives in many regions of the world,” he said.

Peterside pointed out that, the maritime, which was international in nature, depended on global regulatory framework to operate efficiently. He said that shipping is the most environmentally sound mode of cargo transportation and a modest contributor to overall greenhouse gases emission.

He stated that in the face of this global challenge that the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) which is the United Nations body saddled with the responsibility of formulating policies to regulate global maritime activities have joined worldwide efforts at addressing climate change through effective global regulatory frame work and adoption of realistic workable solutions such as the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) Annex VI which specifically deals with Air pollution.

The NIMASA helmsman also noted that Nigeria was one of the countries expected to be most affected by the impact of climate change through sea level rise, coastal erosion, storm surges owing to the stretch of her coastline of about 853 kilometre.

The DG disclosed that NIMASA had come up with various strategies which included implementation of the MARPOL Annex VI, as well as the regulation of bunker fuels of vessels calling at our ports to check the level of sulphur emission fuels and other related gases of concern with which the engines might be running.

The event, which culminated by the awarding-winning dance drama by Seagull Band titled “Climate Change… A time for Action” also had in attendance Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, Senator Ben Murray Bruce, who was represented by his brother Guy Murray Bruce, the Olu Iwo of Iwo Oba Abdul Rasheed Akanbi as well as a climate change activist Desmond Majekodunmi amongst other notable dignitaries.

•Photo shows L-R; Captain Sunday Umoren, Head, Maritime Safety and Seafarers Standards Department, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Deputy Director, Marine Environment Management Department, NIMASA, SEAGULL Band Leader, Senator Florence Ita Giwa, representative of Director General, NIMSASA, Director, MEM, Mrs Susan Asagwora, Assistant Director, MEM, Dr Oma Ofodile and a guest, Mrs Bridget Kusi Uko at the SEAGULL Band Lecture and Stage Presentation in Lagos, September 10, 2017.

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