The Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside, has disclosed that the agency is targeting N109 billion as revenue this year.
He said this while speaking on the 2018 budget before the Senate Committee on Marine Transport in Abuja on Thursday.
According to him, the agency is optimistic it will generate N109 billion as revenue in 2018.
Peterside said the total estimate is achievable based on the number of initiatives the agency has put in place to block revenue leakages.
“N109 billion is an estimate; we are workings toward accomplishing that. This revenue includes revenue from Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund, that I have no access too.
“It also includes our mandatory contributions to Maritime Academy of Nigeria, which is not at our disposal but we optimistic because of the number of initiatives we have put in place.
“We have blocked leakages; we have done everything possible to reduce our expenses to make it achievable,” he said.
He, however, told the committee that every adjustment and amendment had been made on the budget as directed.
The NIMASA boss said a total of N18.7 billion was remitted in 2017, which was the 80 per cent of the total revenue for 2017.
He said N2 billion was also contributed to Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority for the dredging of the lower Niger River, which was approved by the presidency.
Peterside said in 2018, the agency hopes to complete the reforms it had started by making the waterways safer than it used to be, by investing in the security of waterways.
He said the agency intends to build offices in the eastern zone, central zone and also concentrate on capacity building, by training seafarers and scaling up its operations in 2018.
- NAN