Capt Adewale Ishola (Master Mariner)
The minister has reversed the June date, he has now pegged it to December, it is still at a talking stage, the shipping line is not something that can be floated overnight. But if we can follow up with the same enthusiasm the minister is having about the shipping line, when people are determined, this is when projects gets done. For example, if you asked Dangote to come and build a factory in a choice area, within three months it would be floated. What the shipping line needs is the right political will, if we have this, in six months we can have a shipping line, as it is, we even have about eight months. It is also good that the minister said he was not using CVFF proceeds to establish the national carrier, the CVFF is to support indigenous shipping companies and it would be a revolving loan for them.
Galtima Liman (Maritime Consultant)
For a long time now, the policy makers in Nigeria have failed to understand the dynamics of shipping, on the surface of it, ships don’t make money. So if you are looking at freight earnings and you are making calculations you may end up not getting the courage. As a developing country, we are more interested in having a national fleet, but we don’t look at the strategic purpose, when you are designing your shipping strategy, one of the things you need to prepare is the cargoes that will give you contract of afreightment; which is the oil and gas, and we are not even in control of the oil and gas, if the honourable minister of transport is saying he wants to have a national fleet by June, I will tell him that it doesn’t come off that easy, my advice to him is that he needs to have experts that understand the international trade and the geo-politics because he who controls shipping, controls the world trade. You also need to have lawyers who are exposed and who know what steps to take and how to advise the government. Most importantly we also need to bring in the NNPC, one of the areas we have a strategic importance is the oil and gas, but most of the times we are making plans about re-floating the national carrier, the NNPC is not always there.
Ayo Adesanye (Sec. Gen. Trawler Owners Association)
The national carrier is the way to go, people are having different views on whether the government should handle it or not, but strongly believe the government knows the best option to take, and the Minister has said he would partner with foreign investors, so I believe they are in the right direction on that. Also, if we are considering floating another shipping line by June 2016, my take is that, with the current drive of the government, I believe that re-floating the shipping line is achievable.
Okechukwu Vincent (Port Consultative Council)
Looking at our past experience, when we had the NNSL and later we had the NUL, but they all went down the drain despite the investment by Obasanjo and the subsequent administrations. My major fear now is leadership and management; many countries have their national carriers and they are all working fine so why can’t Nigeria? I think we need to review the entire system in order to identify where we have the shortfalls. I believe the government should encourage the Nigerian shipowners association that would be flying Nigerian flag; I believe our shipowners have the required technical competence and professionalism to manage the national carrier. I agree that it is a good plan but we must allow the Shipowners’ association to manage it. However, it is not realisable this year, even if the government have all the funds at its disposal, there are fundamental planning to be done and more time is needed.
Engineer Matthew Alalade (President Merchant Navy)
I think it goes beyond what the Minister is saying about a national carrier for Nigeria. We should wait and see what will happen by June. It’s a policy statement no doubt, it is possible for the federal government to acquire fleet of ships within this short period, but I hope the government will not fail us this time around because this is not the first time they are saying they will float a national carrier through public and private partnership and since the government of the day says they are of change, then we can take them by their words seriously.
Chris Sadoh (Stars Maritime Academy)
The issue to reinstate a national carrier is a welcome idea by the government, because Nigeria is overdue to have a national carrier as far as the maritime sector is concerned, but the issue at hand is that June is not realisable to be frank. Any attempt to float a national carrier within this time frame is like putting a round peg in square hole and at this point; it is high time we stopped deceiving ourselves with issues like this in the front burner, because recently, the minister of petroleum said issue of scarcity will be nipped in the bud in the first week of May, yet we are still struggling to get fuel. Now the minister of transport has come out to say the government will float a carrier come June, but I know it’s not possible. The minister should sit down and plan how to acquire ships within now and two years and not in June. It is not just to pronounce it, but to work towards it and get it right.
Comrade Stephen Ibe (NAGAFF)
Unless the minister will perform a miracle I don’t see it coming that soon. It is not possible to float a national carrier within a spate of six months because we are Nigerians and we know what is happening in the industry. Mark my words the month of June will come and go and the proposed national carrier will not be seen anywhere, because from one government to another since the liquidation of the national carrier we have heard similar stories that government is working tirelessly to revamp the national shipping status but we are still in one spot, therefore I will say it’s not possible. Mr Rotimi Ameachi must be seen to be pro-active rather than come out and tell Nigerians what is not possible. If he says national carrier will be constituted before June there must be some level physical structures in place before the arrival of the ships but nothing of such.
Akintoye Peters Ojo (ANLCA)
It will very difficult to comment about the issue at stake but it is very possible in Nigeria for the government to float a national carrier, because nothing is impossible in sight of God. But we should wait and see what will happen in the month of June whether the government can float a national carrier or not.
Discussion about this post