Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency: An Explication of Its Powers of Enforcement in Nigerian Maritime Domain
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Date
2016
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Faculty of Law, University of Jos.
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency is an agency of the Federal government under the Ministry of Transportation. It has the responsibility of ensuring maritime security and safety among others. The agency isbestowed with powers of enforcement against ships that flouts any of the provisions of NIMASA Act. This paper examines the power of appointing authority to the position of Director-General of the agency and argues that the appointments had been marred with controversy and insincerity in recent times as the requirement of the Act were not taken into cognisance. This paper also considers the general responsibilities of the agency as well as enforcement paradigm against erring ships towards prevention of marine pollution, efforts by NIMASA to actualisingits mandate and the challenges facing the agency. It evaluatesthe constitutional roles of the Nigerian Navy in respect of national and international maritime law, conventions, practices and customs which the country acceded. It concludes that NIMASA is imbued with the power to board, inspect, arrest and take appropriate judicial proceedings in consonance with NIMASA Act 2007 and UNCLOS 1982 but the functions are rarely utilised.
Description
Power of NIMASA
Keywords
Maritime, Administration, Safety Agency
Citation
11;