Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) on Monday donated some relief materials to Ondo State.
Taking delivery of the items in Akure, the state’s Deputy Governor, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, commended the agency for donating in aid of the indigent displaced by disasters.
He said the gesture was a creative example for organisations and individuals in the country to follow.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that items donated by NIMASA included foodstuffs, sewing machines, grinding machines and motorcycles.
Aiyedatiwa who praised the relationship between the state and NIMASA said Ondo State and the maritime regulatory agency shared a common vision of sustainable development of the marine environment for the good of all.
He noted that Ondo State, with the longest coastline in Nigeria, had a lot to gain from a close working relationship with NIMASA.
“We have been engaging with each other and it has been yielding results. This will help in harnessing the rich maritime potential of the state,’’ he said.
Aiyedatiwa appealed to NIMASA, as a maritime safety agency, to help in efforts to put off an oilfield fire in the southern part of the state.
He said the fire, which had raged for about one and a half years had disrupted lives and livelihoods.
Earlier in his address, Director, Maritime Safety and Seafarers Standard in NIMASA, Mr Olu Aladenusi, weighed in on the need for organisations and privileged individuals to show concern and empathy towards the less-privileged.
He represented the Director-General, Dr Bashir Jamoh, at the presentation of the relief materials.
Aladenusi said NIMASA’s current Corporate Social Responsibility activity was part of a nationwide exercise that had taken it to the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.
“We are trying to make our own fair contribution to addressing societal challenges.
“We are also trying to raise awareness about the dire conditions of less privileged citizens and draw society’s attention at the governmental, organisational, and individual levels to the need to constantly lend the needy a helping hand.
“As a Federal Government agency, NIMASA has the whole country as its prime constituency, and we are committed to a better life for all Nigerians.
“We have brought items to help the poor and support the weak. There are also economic empowerment materials meant to enhance the capacity of citizens to earn income, support their families, and contribute to society,’’ he said.
The director said the value of assistance to the less privileged was not so much the amount of goods provided as the spirit behind the effort is more worthy.
Aladenusi described Ondo State as critical in the work of NIMASA, hence the need for the agency to identify with the state.
“That is why NIMASA has created some key engagement platforms, including the NIMASA Maritime Stakeholders Experience Contact Centre (MSECC) and NIMASA-Littoral States Support Project, which are initiatives to enhance stakeholders’ communication,’’ he said. (NAN)
