…As Effedua urges NIMASA to assist in engaging trained Cadets onboard ships for seatime training
BY GODWIN OBI
Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Lagos, has urged the National Assembly to see the need for constant review of the Suppression of Privacy and Other Maritime Offences Act 2019 (SPOMO Act).
According to him, this is to curb piracy attacks and other related crimes in the Gulf of Guinea completely.
The SPOMO Act provides a comprehensive legal framework for addressing maritime insecurities; and empowers law enforcement agencies to investigate, prosecute and punish perpetrators of maritime crimes and other related offences
Dipeolu made the appeal during a roundtable titled: “Legal Instruments for Enforcing Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea.”
The discussion was organised by the Chief Executive Officer of ZOE Maritime Resources Ltd., Mrs Oritsematosan Edodo-Emore.
The 9th Edition of the Lagos International Maritime Week 2024, held in Lagos on Wednesday, had the theme: “Navigating the Future of Africa’s Marine and Blue Economy-Safety First”.
Dipeolu said that the introduction of complicit laws could affect periods of judgement as the SPOMO Act had come to stay, adding that Nigeria would be the first to reckon with when it comes to the safety of Marine and Blue Economy.
Dipeolu said that Nigeria had taken the lead in the promulgation of the SPOMO Act which had helped in reducing piracy and other crimes in the Gulf of Guinea.
He explained that the Federal Government, in conjunction with counsels, ensured timeliness of maritime cases, due to the sensitivity of the profession; and pleaded with counsels to avoid technicalities which delayed matters before the court.
“The Federal Government also established Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) which covers Arbitration, mediation and consideration and they take less time.
“Government should engage maritime judges in constant conventions to improve the speedy approach of maritime cases,” Dipeolu said.
Speaking in the same vein, the President of Maritime Arbitration of Nigeria (MAAN), Mr Bodunrin Adewale, encouraged professionals to engage in training in arbitration to complement the Federal Courts’ efforts at reducing the time of approach to court cases.
He said that the reduction of piracy attacks in the Gulf of Guinea would facilitate trade and more cases would be available for arbitrators to handle.
Adewale, who was also a panellist at the programme, urged the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy to invest more in infrastructure to facilitate trade and reduce the time of doing business within Nigeria as well as the West and Central Africa region.
Other panellists included the Coordinator, Specialised Seafarers Training Centre, Oron, Dr Kevin Okonna, who represented the Rector of Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Commodore Duja Effedua (Rtd),
He said that the establishment of the SPOMO Act had reduced crime in the Gulf of Guinea as well as the Niger Delta pipeline vandalism.
Effedua, who spoke on “Building Human Capacity to Ensure Safety of the Blue Economy“, said the Maritime Academy had trained and provided leadership to other maritime institutions across the country.
He said the academy had also enforced safety in other maritime institutions, adding that Maritime Academy had 12 functional and accredited simulators to enhance safety at sea.
Effedua urged the Management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to assist in engaging the trained cadets onboard ships for seatime training.
This, he said, would enable them to be gainfully employed to compete with their foreign counterparts.
The roundtable was moderated by a legal practitioner, Mrs Lola Ikwuagwu.
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