Mr Funsho Olojo is a maritime journalist who has covered the maritime industry for over 15 years, he had also served as President of the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN). In this interview with Oluyinka Onigbinde, he speaks on some of the factors that hindered the efficiency of the maritime industry in year 2020 and the challenges journalists faced during the period.
“The government agency that really tried for journalists during COVID-19 was Nigeria Shippers’ Council”
What we entered the year 2020, what were your expectations in the maritime industry?
At the beginning of the year, I was expecting to see more robust policies that will turn around the maritime industry, I was expecting to see a drastic reduction in the numbers of pirate attacks. I was also expecting to see total eradication of the traffic gridlock, because we have been on this issue of traffic gridlock for more than four years, so it has been a kind of reoccurring decimal affecting the access to the port and the efficiency of the port. So I was expecting a kind of port efficiency in 2020, but what did we get, personally I was disappointed that there were lots of disruptions, and disappointments and our government agencies are not even helping matters. So primary I would say my expectation for the growth in the maritime industry was not met.
Do you think the COVID 19 was also a factor that affected the efficiency or growth of the industry in 2020?
Yes, in a way because we cannot deny the fact that the COVID 19 affected not only the maritime industry in Nigeria, but all sectors and generally the whole world, but despite that; port business has to go on, if we were proactive the impact would have been minimal, but because our port system is not automated, we have been saying let us put an end to physical examination of cargoes, but the pandemic came and it exposed our inability to embrace automation. For instance, in Ghana we learnt that port operation was going on seamlessly, you don’t need to go to the port before you clear your cargo, so I think it’s high time our port operation were fully automated, if we had embraced automation probably the impact would have been minimal, if not for the Nigeria Shippers’ Council that made sure the port activities keep going on, all other agencies went to sleep and even asked their staff to stay at home, but even with the their effort the impact was minimal, the gap of not automating our port really had an effect on the operation.
As a frontline worker, how were you able to navigate during that period?
It was very difficult, although there was no restriction for journalists or other frontline workers, but to navigate your network was a major problem, because there was no transportation except if you have your own car. Although we had access to the port because of the nature of our job because our profession is critical to the growth of the industry, but by and large for some of my colleagues who were not mobile, it was pretty difficulty to move because there was no public transportation except for few of us that are mobile.
Asides these points you have raised; what other impact did the COVID 19 had on you?
Yes, asides curtailing my movement it also opened my eyes to see the state of our health system, we had to pay serious concern to our health, and this also revealed the state of our health system and it was like we were caught in the web. So personally it made me to realize that health is wealth and that I have to take more responsibility for my well-being and then I became more hygienic and you know that there are certain things we take for granted, the COVID came and it opened our yes to the fact that we have to be more responsive to our health.
During the peak of COVID 19, recall that Lagos state government banned motorcycles from operating how did you cope during that period knowing the situation in Apapa?
Yes, it was very difficult; some journalists are not mobile, it became very impossible navigating within the port area. if you are mobile you can navigate, for those who are mobile it will be easier because if you can identify yourself to the security agencies that you are a journalist on critical mission, they will allow you and you will be able to navigate, but for journalists that are not mobile, they had to trek just to meet the demand of their office, so it was difficult.
As a frontline worker being a journalist do you think the government agencies did well in terms of protecting the frontline workers?
First of all, whose responsibility is it to ensure that journalists are well protected? For me, I think it should be the responsibility of the individual organization of such journalist, individual organization should ensure that their staff are well protected and taken care of, then talking about the government agencies because we are working together, whatever they do, they will consider it as their corporate social responsibility, it is not binding on them to protect or take care of journalists, though as a journalist, you work within their environment but the employer of a reporter has the primary responsibility to ensure that their staff are adequately protected. I think the government agency that really tried for journalists then was Nigeria Shippers Council, which reached out to all stakeholders including journalists they gave out protective personal equipment (PPEs) like sanitizers, facemask and others and it shows that the agency is very responsible and very concerned. But for others, I really don’t know of any other agency that did that much to ensure that journalists that report them and carry out their activities are well protected. So I will give kudos to Nigeria Shippers Council ably led by Barr. Hassan Bello; the man has been very good and proactive not only to journalists, but even to the freight forwarders, he ensured that freight forwarders were able to come to the port to ply their trade with provision of free buses. So when I think of all the maritime government agencies, I will single out NSC, as been more responsive and more responsible to the yearning and safety of maritime stakeholders including journalists.
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