The Nigeria Shipowners Association (NISA) on Thursday inaugurated its recently-elected executive members for a tenure of two years, even as the association has vowed to uphold fairness among members and also promote Cabotage laws against foreign dominance.
Speaking at the inauguration and swearing-in ceremony which was held in Lagos, the newly- elected President; Mr Sola Adewumi stressed the association’s commitment to partner with the Federal Government and other relevant government agencies to fully harness the huge potentials of the maritime industry.
Adewumi stated that NISA will work with the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the best way to promote and protect the Cabotage law against foreign dominance. He noted that his team will work assiduously to uphold the principles of fairness to every member of the association and ensure they build on the foundation laid by its founding fathers.
In readiness to hit the ground running, Adewumi specifically noted that the association will be moving to a new fully-furnished Secretariat in Apapa before the end of May 2023. He also disclosed that the Nigerian Maritime Expo (NIMAREX); a brainchild of the association will hold before the end of 2023 or early next year.
Adewumi however called on aggrieved members to sheath their swords and join hands with him in building a more vibrant ship owners’ association.
“I want to seize this opportunity to appreciate members for the confidence reposed in me and I assure you that my team will never let you down. We will work assiduously to uphold the principles of fairness to every member of the association and ensure we build on the foundation laid by the founding fathers of the association.
“As we all know, shipping is a trillion-naira industry, maritime itself is an industry and shipping is a big aspect of the maritime industry. We’ll be liaising with all the relevant agencies like the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the rest. There are so many areas that we can venture into. We are going to tap into all that shipping encompasses. We are going to work with everybody to ensure that we expand the scope.
“We will liaise with relevant agencies and ensure that members’ interests are protected from time- to-time. Our campaign promises will be fulfilled with the cooperation of every member. As a way of showing our readiness to serve as earlier promised, we would be moving the secretariat of NISA to a furnished stand-alone office in the shipping city of Apapa soonest.
On NIMAREX, he said: “We wouldn’t want to put up a haphazard event, so, if the event does not happen in 2023, it will take place in early 2024. We’ll institute a strong committee that will drive this project. As we all know, this event is fashioned after the OTC, we’ll come together to fashion how best to showcase the Nigerian maritime industry to the world”.
“Let me use this opportunity to appeal to all members who are disgruntled one way or the other to come back and let us form a united association. It is in unity that we can achieve our collective objectives” Adewumi pleaded.
On his part, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Chief Isaac Jolapamo stated that there is so much work to be done by the new NISA leadership, even as he expressed confidence in the ability of the new executives to deliver on the mandate.
“Let us see some changes, we’ve been in this fight for so long without getting anywhere, your administration will bring about the realization of the reasons the association was created in the first place” Jolapamo added.
The inaugurated five-man executive members include: Mr Sola Adewumi as President, Mr Olawale Jubril as General Secretary, Mr. Mohammed Malik as Financial Secretary, Mrs Wor-Degbetuwa Sammy as Treasurer and Mr. Gbolahan Adu as Publicity Secretary.
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