Dakuku Peterside: seeks to change the image of Nigeria as top three in sea piracy

Nigeria is listed  among the top three countries where sea  piracy  occurs and a worried  Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) wants to change the narrative very quickly.

Mr Dakuku Peterside has suggested a legal framework that prescribed stiff sanction, vigilant military-led patrol and better intelligence gathering network to tackle sea piracy.

Peterside who  spoke with newsmen  on his way to Singapore  said that tackling rising cases of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea requires multi-stakeholders’ approach.

The NIMASA chief noted that the activities of pirates stifled shipping and by extension, commerce which was a major driver of global economy.

Peterside said that all avenues would be explored toward keeping the Nigerian waterways safe as well as the ships plying them.

He noted that this required wider consultation.

The director-general said that NIMASA under his leadership was championing a number of initiatives aimed at achieving zero pirate activities in Nigerian waters.

Peterside is in Singapore on invitation of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.

He  will address a Forum of maritime regulators and experts at this year’s Singapore Maritime Week on the topic “Indispensable Shipping: Meeting the Regulatory Requirements’’.