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The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside has said described preparedness and core training as the panacea for handling oil spills in the maritime environment.
The Director General said this while addressing participants at the eight day training programme on “Oil Spill Response and Preparedness Training on the Job,” organised by the European Union (EU) in Lagos.
The DG who decried the negative impact of oil spills on the marine environment and its effects on the livelihood of people living in coastal communities noted that it is only adequate preparation that can help mitigate the effect of oil spills.
According to him, “it is necessary to note that where there are in place contingency plans and equipment without training those that will handle them, there will be no preparedness. Hence this training is timely and highly appreciated especially being granted free to our Nation”.
According to a statement issued by Head, Corporate Communications of NIMASA, Hajia Lami Tumaka, Peterside urged participants to give the training programme the seriousness it deserves noting that their expertise after the training will be instrumental in dealing with issues of oil spills emphasising that as an oil producing nation, oil spills cannot be ruled out of the Nigeria maritime environment.
Participants at the training were drawn from NIMASA, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) while the five prioritized countries from Africa are Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana Cote d’voire and Cameroun.
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