Reps approves N774.77bn maritime admin’s budget proposal

The House of Representatives Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration has approved the 2025 budget proposal of N774.77billion for the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

The committee led by Rep. Khadija Abba-Ibrahim approved the proposal at a budget defence session with the NIMASA management in Abuja.

The adoption followed the presentation of a summary of the projected revenue and expenditure by the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr Dayo Mobereola.

Represented by the Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Mr Chidi Offodile, the D-G disclosed that N774.66 billion was the targeted revenue for 2025.

Mobereola said that after deductions, including federal remittances and maritime fund contributions, N264.96 billion would be available for operations.

He listed freight levies, offshore waste management, sea protection and ship registration as major revenue sources, alongside new gains expected from automation and the rollout of a modular floating dock.

The executive director explained that while NIMASA projected N467.4 billion in revenue for 2024, the actual collections amounted to N370 billion, indicating a 79 per cent performance rate.

He further explained that recurrent expenditures reached 87 per cent of the budgeted allocations, while capital spending stood at 51 per cent implementation.

Earlier in her address, the chairman of the committee, Rep. Khadija Abba-Ibrahim, said that they discovered that NIMASA’s internally generated revenue was not remitted 100 per cent.

Abba-Ibrahim drew the attention of the management to a major fiscal shift under the present administration, requiring NIMASA to remit 50 per cent of its IGR to the federal treasury.

According to her, it is a significant departure from the previous policy that allowed the agency to retain all IGR.

The committee, however, questioned the credibility of doubling the revenue target given the N97 billion shortfalls in 2024.

She also expressed concerns on the steep rise in personnel costs, from N42 billion in 2024 to N73 billion in 2025 and queried whether this was due to mass recruitment or inflated benefits.

The capital expenditure also came under scrutiny, with the committee questioning how NIMASA plans to implement N89 billion in capital projects when 50 per cent of its revenue will be deducted at source.