Capacity Building: NIMASA Commissions e-library At Regional Resource Centre, Kirikiri Lagos

The Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) on Friday commissioned an electronic library (e-library) located inside the Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (RMRCC) at Kirikiri, Apapa Lagos.

According to the agency, the library is expected to serve all NIMASA staff, maritime stakeholders as well as the host communities around the resource centre in deepening their knowledge on the maritime sector.

The e-library comprises 24 computer systems on work stations and 28 sitting capacity fully connected to NIMASA network among others. In addition to the e- library, the agency has a conventional library at the facility even as it has stocked up to date materials and books for stakeholders knowledge development.

Speaking at the commissioning yesterday the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh said the e-library will serve as an historical center point, saying that the essence of reading is to develop history.

Jamoh informed that the library has been a long time plan of the agency which has now materialises under his own administration as the DG.

He stated that it’s part of the management plan to develop similar course such as tgose available in Oxford University on “Anatomy of shipping” here in Nigeria with the help of the e- library

He further informed that the NIMASA library will warehouse a museum that will be able to take the historical perspective of shipping.

The DG urged that the e-library be made effective and not dormant even as he informed that already, the agency have started receiving request from students in Lagos and outside Lagos that would like to come and visit the library.

He said the resources generated from the e-library will be used to sustain the e-library.

Speaking earlier the Executive Director ED F&A Hon Chudi Offordile who was represented by the Director Shipping Development Mr. Anthony Ogadi said the commissioning of the e library is in line with the goal of President Muhammadu Buhari to revive and build key infrastructures in the country for national development.

Emphasising that the NIMASA e- library is a digital library among the few ones in Nigeria, he said that the virtual nature of the library makes reading seamless from any part of the world, he added that the innovation brings the library closer to the people.

Ogadi stressed that libraries are not just facilities for warehousing books and periodicals, but an important cornerstone of a healthy community, adding that the remodelling library is eminently a right footing and right match in maritime capacity building for sustainable development.

According to him “This innovation brings the library closer to you, therefore wherever you are with your smart phone and other enabling devices, it brings you to the NIMASA e- library where you can access different quality materials across the world”

“As you know libraries are not just facilities for warehousing books and periodicals, but an important cornerstone of a healthy community”

“By this official opening of the NIMASA knowledge center e-library, the agency has once again recruited a treasure asset to Nigeria Africa and the global maritime community

“To us as an agency, we treasure this asset considering the fast and professional mandate of our profession which requires sound knowledge to achieve.

“You recall that a major course of the agency mandate is maritime capacity, hence this remodelling library is eminently a right footing and right match in maritime capacity building for sustainable development” he said

On her part the NIMASA Librarian, Hajia Aisha Askira informed that the NIMASA library is a hybrid of both conventional and electronics, that provides information resources to support the agency in pursuing it’s goals.

She said the e-library has 24 computers system on work stations and 28 sitting capacity fully connected to NIMASA network.

she opined that the e- library will accelerate the capacity building of staff in terms of their learning and exposure even as she adds that with the e-library the maritime sector will have a reliable warehouse of information for reference.

Askira said that staff of NIMASA would be scheduled to visit the library department by department, while industry stakeholders are also free to make use of it.