The Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency has said at least 10,000 jobs will be created following an offshore waste management agreement signed with a private firm,  XPO Marine Services Limited.

The agreement is for the collection of offshore waste generated in the eastern zone.

Speaking on Friday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, during the flag-off of the offshore waste reception facility for the Eastern Zone Operations of NIMASA, the agency’s Deputy Director, Public Private Partnership unit, Kabiru Diso, said for decades it was difficult to take care of waste beyond 10 nautical miles of the country’s shorelines.

Diso said, “Today is a very remarkable day, not remarkable because we have inaugurated the implementing stage of this contract but for having an opportunity for Nigeria as a country to be able to discharge its function under IMO obligation through PPP arrangement.

“Under this arrangement, a lot of income will come to the Federal Government, a lot of youth employment will come with this project. If we have this kind of project two, three in the country, I’m sure within the shortest possible time we will move from where we are to be among the first maritime nations.”

While noting that the concession arrangement was for 10 years, Diso said, “Every collection they make, 60 per cent is going to the concessionaire, 20 per cent is going to the Federal Government of Nigeria and 20 per cent is going to NIMASA.  And it is performance-based. It is when they do the job certification they will get paid.”

On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of XPO Marine Services Limited, Wellington Agharese, said the firm would be moving from one platform to the other, from one ship to the other to collect oil and solid waste “so that our aquatic environment can be preserved and we take the waste for ultimate disposal’.

“The time you take the multiplier employment implication you are talking of something more than N10,000 both direct and indirect employment,” Agharese stated.