10 Students Win NIMASA Educational Grants: 10 Maritime Women Leaders Honoured
From right the DG NIMASA Dr, Dakuku Peterside, MD NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman, Permanent secretary Ministry of Transportation, Sabiu Zakari, the honorable minister of transportantion Rt. Hon Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of State for Transportation, Senator Gbemi Saraki and the Chairman House committee on Maritime Transport Education and Administration, Hon Linda Ikpeazu at the celebration of the 2019 world Maritime Day
The Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, has said that the new maritime security infrastructure being built by the Federal Government, the Deep Sea Project, would be a major economic trigger for the country.
Amaechi stated this in Lagos, while speaking with the media during the World Maritime Day celebrations, with the theme, “Empowering Women in the Maritime Community”.
10 women were honoured for their pioneering contributions to the maritime sector, while 10 students, who excelled in an essay competition organised by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) as part of the activities in commemoration of the Day, were awarded the Agency’s educational grants at the occasion.
Amaechi said the Deep Sea Project, which aims to secure the country’s territorial waters up to the Gulf of Guinea, would inspire greater investors’ confidence in the Nigerian maritime sector and boost the sector’s contribution to the national economy.
He also spoke on the government’s plan to link the railway system to the seaports, as a way of integrating the maritime sector into the rail master structure as planned to make movements of goods to and from the ports more effective to boost the economy.
He said: “For instance, the current Lagos-Kano rail line began from Ebute Metta. But when we came, we started another line from Ebute Metta to Apapa seaport. With this, when you bring in your goods, you turn them to the rail that takes them to the hinterland. The one from Lagos to Calabar will link the Calabar, Port Harcourt, and Onne seaports, and so on.”
The Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, who made a presentation on the measures by the Federal Government to tackle maritime security in the country, expressed the hope that the female gender will play a major role in the execution of the anchor security scheme, the Deep Blue Project.
“We have various components in the coordinated maritime security solution and the female gender is already part of the project,”Dakuku said
Also speaking at the occasion, Minister of State for Transportation, Senator Gbemisola Saraki, called for more scholarship and mentorship schemes to boost female participation in the shipping sector. Saraki noted that the achievements of women in the maritime sector had shown that if given the opportunity, the Nigerian woman will excel.
From right MD NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman, the DG NIMASA Dr, Dakuku Peterside, , Permanent secretary Ministry of Transportation, Sabiu Zakari, the honorable minister of transportation Rt. Hon Rotimi Amaechi, winner of the 2019 maritime essay competition, Toluwalope Ojewola, the Minister of State for Transportation, Senator Gbemi Saraki and the Chairman House committee on Maritime Transport Education and Administration, Hon Linda Ikpeazu at the celebration of the 2019 world Maritime Day
Meanwhile, a student of the University of Ibadan, Mr. Toluwalope Ojewola, emerged overall winner of the essay competition organised by NIMASA to mark the World Maritime Day. Ojewola was tops in a group of 10 students whose entries were selected by an independent panel of judges for the final contest. But all 10 nominees were awarded the Agency’s educational grants.
The essay competition, which had over 100 entries, was on, “Empowering Women in the Maritime Community,” in line with the IMO campaign focus, “Supporting Gender Equality, Empowering Women” in maritime.
Ojewola was presented with a N500, 000 Education Grant, a laptop and a plaque by the Honourable Minister of Transportation at the occasion.
Miss Blessing Omataye of the University of Benin came second, while Alexander Chikudinaka Nwaegede from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, came third. Both won educational grants and laptops. They were part of the 10 students awarded educational grants by the Agency.
The annual essay competition, which commenced in 2017 is open to only first and second year students of tertiary institutions in Nigeria and is part of NIMASA’s commitment to getting youths, particularly girls, involved in the intellectual discourse on harnessing the potentials of the blue economy in Nigeria.
The event also witness the recognition of some women considered as pioneers in the Nigerian maritime sector.
The first female Admiral in the Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral Itunu Hotonu, First female to Chair the Senate Committee on Maritime and now Minister of State Federal Ministry of Transportation, Senator Gbemi Saraki, Chairman House Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administrtion, Hon. Linda Chuba Ikpeazu, Nigeria’s first most senior female Director at the IMO, Mrs Monica Mbanefo, the First Female Managing Director of the NPA Hadiza bala Usman as well as the first female Director General of NIMASA Mrs Mfon Usoro. Others include Hajia Lami Tumaka Director special duties in NIMASA, Mrs Magaret Orakwusi, Mrs Chinwe Ezenwa, Ms Funmi Folorunso, Dr Vicky Haastrup, Mrs Juliana Gunwa and Mrs Ify Akerele.
