Nichodemus Odollo (Trustee, Shippers Association Lagos State)
The truth of the matter is that the minister needs to meet the right stakeholders in the maritime industry for them to give him the true picture of what is happening, if he continues to scratch at the surface, he will not get the expected result, he needs people to give him the in-depth knowledge, this is the only time he could take decisions that will last. But if he continues to take briefing from those at the top, they will be playing him the same song they played others before him. If he wants to know the truth about the sector, let him go and meet the maritime journalists, they are the ones that have seen everything and can tell the truth, but Amaechi is taking briefing from directors who probably have not even visited the port once. Aggressively, Amaechi has the character and the zeal to do the work right, but without the right information he would not work and be successful.
Comrade Leke Sanni (President, NPA branch, MWUN)
The minister is moving in the right direction, but he needs the opinion and advice of all stakeholders. It is however surprising that in all the meetings he has been holding, we have never been invited to a single one, and yet we are a major stakeholder, the Maritime Workers Union and the Senior Staff Association are the ones on the spot and can offer genuine advice. Whenever these meetings are called, we need to be part of it, as far as the maritime sector is concerned, we are partners in progress, it is not that we are concerned about the welfare of our workers only, if the industry is not on a good stand, how can we approach our employers for better working condition.
Shola Fadeyi (Maritime Journalist)
If you look at Amaechi’s antecedents in terms of when he was Governor of Rivers State and what he was able to achieve, we could say that he was an action man, so looking at him now, we expect him to still perform. But, since he came in as transport minister and going by decisions he has taken, we may say that he is not being given the right advice, he is looking at it that stakeholders in the maritime industry like the shipowners association should come under one umbrella, same thing he said to the freight forwarders. There is power in unity but he should know also that the coast is so large for different stakeholders to operate under different umbrella, what we expect him to do is tackle the challenges in the maritime sector, vis-a-vis the port concession, the bad port access roads and arbitrary charges. We all know he is not an expert, the first thing he should do is to gather stakeholders and listen to them.
Gani Sekoni Tarzan (President, ATBOWATON)
If what Amaechi is saying is what he is going to do, then he will be okay. I have attended so many meetings and conferences and it is now like we are going in circles, it is the same things we said yesterday that we are still saying, there is no difference or any major change, one thing is to plan and another is to implement. He has just been appointed few months ago, let’s give him some time and see how things unfold.
Chris Ezeoguine (Stakeholder)
I think what the minister of transport is doing is in the best interest of the practitioners; especially when he made mention of agents registration with CRFFN, because that single act will make the freight forwarding practice to grow. The minister’s position on that is in line with the Act that established the CRFFN, therefore I believe he is working for the interest of the practitioners. Amaechi is the first minister of transport that has truly made his position known on how to revive CRFFN since its establishment and already that singular move is a plus for him.
Sir Osita Chukwu Patrick (SNFFIEC)
The minister’s move to stop POF collection is laudable and the move to harmonise some stakeholders like ship owner is a sure sign of doing what can make the industry to move forward.
Innocent Orok (Maritime journalist)
The minister is on course, but as you know you have to unite a divided house before making any headway; I applaud the minister’s efforts at uniting all stakeholders be it ship owners; freight forwarders and customs agents and even the maritime journalists. I think when everybody come together; we can all be on the same page and as they say – a divided house cannot stand; united we stand, divided we fall.By the time Amaechi is through with all these reforms, the sector will be better that It were in the past I applaud and commend his efforts.
Barrister Osuala Nwagbara (Maritime Lawyer)
I think the minister is doing some house-keeping as we speak and the impression I have about the Hon. Rotimi Ameachi when he was the governor of Rivers State was that of a fighter and a hulk, but I see a different person in all the fora that I have attended; seeing him as minister of transport. He is somebody who wants unity and togetherness in the area that he is in charge. He has asked freight forwarders to speak with one voice under CRFFN regulations and even the ship owners are not left out; he appealed to them to come together and speak with one voice. I believe he has a lot of ideas up his sleeves and with the kind of house-keeping he is doing at the moment, I believe it will move the maritime sector forward.
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