Dr. Zebulon Ikokide (President NIFFCB)
Dr. Zebulon Ikokide (President NIFFCB)
There are a lot of things left undone by our government. The ports and harbour bill is a critical bill that seeks urgent attention. The National Assembly does not want to privatise what belong to everybody and that is why the bill is still hanging. I think they might have been misled because this is a bill which, when passed will benefit the economy of our nation. My view is that they should speedily ensure that the bill is passed so that people can have confident to invest in this sector because passage of the bill will further guarantee investment. I will appeal to government on the need to pressurize the National Assembly to pass the bill.
Lucky Amiwero (President NCMDLCA)
I don't subscribe to the resuscitation of the maritime bills pending before the House, most especially the Ports and Harbour bill. I will rather suggest that government should come up with a new bill because the government has appointed a port regulator. The ports regulator appointment has clarified three port elements and these three element have been taken over by three agencies which include; one: port operations have been taken over by terminal operators, the land lord is by NPA and they are seen as service provider and then we have port regulator. Concession means that your four key element must be considered, but unfortunately the legal instrument to midwife the process was not there and it’s a wrong process on the part of the government by bringing a concession without a regulator.
Sir Patrick Osita Chukwu (Coordinator SNFFIEC)
At the moment I know the government has not stabilized, because of the situation in the country but I will advice stakeholders to give the National Assembly more time for them to scrutinize bills relating to the maritime industry. You are aware also that the federal government is yet to appoint ministers into respective ministries; therefore there is need for practitioners to exercise a little patience. However, stakeholders also have a key role to play in the passage of the bills most especially, the Ports and Harbour bill; many members of the National Assembly do not understand the importance of that bill and they need some level of enlightenment as well. Passage of the bill will further strengthen the Nigerian Shippers’ Council in order to perform its duty better without molestation and resistance from the concessionaires and shipping companies, because the chambers understand the implications of that bill, I believe they will pass it into law.
Eniola Odulaja (Stakeholder)
The Ports and Harbour bill is the most relevant bill that needs to be passed into law at the moment so that the concessionaires can be effectively regulated by the Nigerian Shippers' Council. Apart from that, there is need by the National Assembly to be enlightened about by the maritime stakeholders.
Mazi Joseph Anabaraonye (Registrar, Freight Forwarders Academy)
The issue is that before a Bill goes to the house there must be somebody sponsoring it, Bills don't just go by themselves, either they are executive Bills or private member Bills, or industry Bill, if it is coming from a private member and the person is no longer in the house, then it becomes a problem to push it, except the sector which it affects are interested in the Bill and then they can now go ahead to wake it up again, if it is an executive Bill, the executive will go ahead to pursue it, and if it is an industry-based Bill like an institute, these institutes must go back to the house to reawaken the Bill?. A Bill cannot be passed without sponsorship, there must be what we call lobbying which will require finances and researches and documents. But if you throw a Bill at the house and you expect it to be passed you are wasting your time, you must make financial commitments and be ready to convince the lawmakers how the Bill will benefit the country at large. If the Bill has parochial interest of it does not benefit the nation, it will continue to fail at the House.
Increase Uche (Secretary General, NAGAFF)
It is very important that the current National Assembly members expedite action on the Bills concerning the maritime sector, taking cognizance of the fact that we are in a monolithic economy and we need to tap the essential resources in our maritime industry. In order to do this, it requires the backing of the law, for example the National Transport Commission Bill that has to do with the transport sector in entirety, in any country, transport is assumed to be very import to development and if this area is not taken seriously we might not get our target. The laws we have now are obsolete and the National Assembly needs to look into them, if we don't pass laws to meet up with global trend, the terminal operators for example will continue to act on their own. The National Assembly should get technocrats to look at the Bills, it is only when they know the importance of the maritime sector that we can begin to receive the required change?.
Frank Aliakor (Licensed Customs Agent)
By the time they have settled down and the committees are formed, then we will know the Chairman of the committees on maritime which is where we belong, it is the person that can look into our own case, but for now we don't know who is the Senate Chairman on maritime or the House Committee on maritime, the crisis currently rocking the National Assembly is part of what is delaying them from swinging into action and we believe that by the time they settle down, they will begin work in earnest.
Fred Adjuzie (Chairman, Apapa chapter NAGAFF)
Before now, nobody was talking about the maritime sector, but now it has become imperative, it is a sector that generate a lot of revenue as far as government is concerned, NIMASA is part of the maritime sector and you can see how the DG was recently changed, the Bills at the National Assembly should continue, if the people pushing the Bills are no longer there, their colleagues should be lobbied by the concerned stakeholders so that relevant documents will be brushed up and raised again, these Bills are the instruments that will bring succour to the maritime sector and make it more recognised.
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