Nigerian Army plays vital roles in Deep Blue Project – NIMASA DG

Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Bashir Jamoh has stressed that the cordial relationship between NIMASA and the Armed Forces, especially the Nigerian Army, plays a leading role in the functioning of the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure (the Deep Blue Project) domiciled at the agency.

Jamoh stated this when he hosted a team from the Nigerian Army School of Public Relations and Information (NASPRI), led by the Acting Commandant, Col. Aliyu Yusuf, at the agency’s headquarters in Lagos.

“We have a very cordial relationship with the Armed Forces. Both establishments are working towards the same goal of national security and development.

“The Nigerian Army is a strategic partner in our search for maritime security; it plays a critical role in the Deep Blue Project. We are happy to work with you in the dissemination of information on national security issues. We have a responsibility to manage security information in ways that would engender confidence in the polity – and not endanger the country,” he said.

The highpoint of the meeting between NIMASA and the Nigerian Army was the announcement of a plan to cooperate on the training and retraining of journalists and other public communication practitioners in the country’s security sector.

Jamoh restated the plan by NIMASA to set up a media academy for the training and retraining of professionals that report the maritime industry. He said the Agency’s Public Relations Unit would interface with NASPRI to come up with a robust curriculum and information sharing method that would serve NIMASA and the Army in the implementation of their respective mandates.

Earlier, Colonel Aliyu Yusuf, said the essence of the courtesy call was to explore areas by the Nigerian Army for further collaboration with NIMASA.  

Commending the warm relationship between the Nigerian Army and NIMASA, Yusuf said NASPRI had trained many maritime journalists, members of the Armed Forces, and others involved in security reporting.