Otunba Kunle Folarin (Chairman, Port Consultative Council)
Otunba Kunle Folarin (Chairman, Port Consultative Council)
This is NIMAREX and it has an objective, the objective is to showcase the potentials in the Nigerian maritime sector and also to make sure there is a synergy between all stakeholders in the maritime sector. Precisely, the 2015 edition is a development on the previous outing and I believe that in terms of paper presentation there were quite good topics, but we would like to have a more expansive exhibition, particularly from foreign countries to support what we are able to do in Nigeria. All together it is a good attempt, they have been able to keep faith with the philosophy of NIMAREX which is very important, we expect that in years to come they will grow and continue to change the format and attract international audience which is critical. Investment in this sector is heavy, without investment, it will be very difficult to achieve the ultimate goal of transforming Nigeria into a maritime nation.
Comrade John Okpono (Merchant Navy)
To a large extent, I will say it is still in the incubator stage ,considering how long it has been in existence. The idea of NIMAREX is about the vision and future of the maritime sector. NIMAREX is trying to promote what we have as a maritime nation annually and for the fact that some individuals in the industry conceived the idea of what it is today is a pass mark. Anything worth doing is whort doing well because Rome was not built in a day and five years of NIMAREX is a clear indication that it is still in its preparatory stage and to the best of my knowledge it is meeting the objectives of its creation.
Dr. Zebulon ikokide (President NIFFCB)
NIMAREX was created as a private organisation with the aim to market the industry to the government and the international committee. The mother of NIMAREX remains the indigenous ship owners in Nigeria and as we speak, they now true to being on their own so that the politics of the ship owners will not affect it from as regard the 2015 edition. NIMAREX is doing fine in areas of awareness and what needed to be done for the betterment of the sector.
Barrister Alban Igwe (CRFFN)
There could be a number of perspective, one is that this segment of the economy has huge potentials that has been lying dormant, one might decide to describe it as a sleeping giant, and then some people decide to come together to sensitize the Nigerian economy on the potentials of the maritime sector. What NIMAREX is doing at the moment is still sensitization; they have not gone into the real act that will turn things around. I believe the exposition can do better, considering that this is the 5th edition, I want to sit back and ask myself what are the achievement, if it takes five years to sensitize, then how much of the potentials do Nigerians now know about? What are the objectives and how far has it been achieved? I think we are still far from achieving anything in NIMAREX.
Anonymous
NIMAREX is an event that takes place annually in Nigeria and it serves as an ideal forum showcasing a gathering of practitioners in order to exhibit their products, technologies, service and expertise even providing the platform of unlocking various business opportunities in Nigeria. NIMAREX held its fifth edition last week, but my big question is how come the government has failed to embrace the salient points put in place, policies that will move the sector and the economy forward. Therefore I think NIMAREX is still crawling but we hope it will achieve its motives in years to come.
Ade Olopoenia (President, Master Mariners Association)
It is meeting the objective for which it was established, what NIMAREX needs is the support of every stakeholder because it is a novel idea, by now it ought to have grown bigger than this. Today we are surprised that not many of the shipowners are here, we should be asking ourselves why are they not present, if they want to do business in Nigeria they need to identify with this kind of project. In a way, NIMAREX is something that has come to stay but it needs the support of government and other critical stakeholders, particularly the shipowners, both offshore and coastal vessel owners. There should be more unity in the fold of the Nigeria shipowners, they need to talk to themselves and bring themselves together so that they can enjoy the full support of the government, if they don't speak with one voice, nobody will support them.
Dr. Babatunde Samuel (Rector POTEMAN)
Going by NIMAREX programmes, deriving issues to meet its objectives one needs to go back to why NIMAREX was established. In this part of the world there is always a constant need for a meeting point for professionals and practitioners from all walks of life and NIMAREX is one of the means they can all have as the missing link with the general public and I think also that it is the major objective why NIMAREX created. Going by the content of its establishment, it is an attestation that it is actually meeting its target and I also believe that subsequently, if the government through the ministry of transport continues to invest in it, it will develop the Nigeria maritime industry to be in line with international practice.
Captain Adewale Ishola (Master Mariner)
Of course it is meeting the objectives, there is a renewed interest for people to showcase what they have in the industry, new people are coming into the expo. Unfortunately for the past administration they did not listen to us in the maritime sector, we are hoping that this new administration of Buhari when we present the communiqué of this year's NIMAREX will pursue it vigorously. NIMAREX is now bigger than the Nigerian Shipowners Association (NISA) it is no longer a NISA affair, it is now all stakeholders affair, we have banks, insurance companies, government parastals, private academies and training institutions and so on. So you can see that it is getting bigger, NISA are the initiators but it is now bigger than NISA itself, it is industry players contribution that has made it what is has become today.
Discussion about this post