The Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, yesterday blamed high rate of crime for the revenue shortfall the agency recorded in 2018 fiscal year.
He spoke in Abuja during 2019 budget defence session of the agency before the Senate Committee on Marine Transport.
Peterside who made the submission in response to a question on why NIMASA’s contributions to the Consolidated Revenue Fund in 2018 reduced by N6billion noted that maritime crimes was largely responsible for the reduction.
He explained that since monies remitted into the account on yearly basis are directly percentages of revenues saved, shortfalls in remittances were as a result of low revenues largely caused by maritime crime or piracy on high sea.
He said: “Our own problem here is more of maritime crime and not piracy which is committed on high seas, but within the sector, Nigeria is largely seen as headquarters of piracy in the world.”
The agency’s remittance into the consolidated revenue fund in 2017 was N22billion while that of 2018 was N16billion, giving a shortfall of N6billion.
As a way out, the NIMASA chief appealed to the committee to facilitate the process of the Senate giving concurrence to the Maritime Security Bill already passed by the House of Representatives.
He said: “We need adequate security on our water ways, the very reason why the Anti- Piracy law already passed by the House of Representatives is urgently needed.”