The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) have decided to collaborate closely on the creation of a regulatory framework that will provide operational guidelines for submarine cable and pipeline operators in Nigeria.
This information is found in a statement released on Sunday in Lagos and signed by Mr. Osagie Edward, Assistant Director, Public Relations, NIMASA.
According to the statement, the agreement was reached at a pre-audit meeting on submarine cable regulation between officials from the two organizations.
It quoted Dr. Bashir Jamoh, Director-General of NIMASA, as saying that the organization was committed to making it easy to conduct business while implementing international conventions that Nigeria had ratified and domesticated.
Jamoh noted that it was now necessary to stop the unauthorized laying of underwater cables because they might endanger shipping, with Nigeria serving as a hub for international communication players.
It is important to remember that marine cable laying has been going on in Nigerian waters for more than 20 years.
With all these underwater cables being installed, “our priority is to ensure the safety of navigation of shipping in Nigerian waters.
In accordance with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, NIMASA is currently developing the rules to regulate submarine cable operators (UNCLOS).
“We consult before we simply apply laws. Where one agency’s responsibility ends, another agency’s responsibility begins, according to Jamoh.
He said that cooperation was crucial to making it simple to conduct business in the interest of the nation.
Jamoh promised that NIMASA and the NCC would collaborate closely to make this happen.
Prof. Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, was also quoted in the statement as saying that a win-win outcome would be guaranteed by the stakeholders’ dialogue strategy used by NIMASA to develop the guidelines.
He demanded that NIMASA involve the Ministry of Justice in creating the rules, and Jamoh immediately complied with his request.
Efosa Idehen, Director of Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement, spoke on behalf of Danbatta.
According to the statement, Mr. Dasuki Arabi, Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, praised NIMASA and NCC for implementing successful inter-agency collaboration to avoid a potential challenge for the nation in the future.
You may remember that NIMASA had informed Nigerian submarine and cable operators of an impending regulatory guideline for submarine cables and pipelines in accordance with UNCLOS.
The meeting also included representatives from Nigeria’s submarine cable operators and federal ministry of the environment officials.
