Engr. Matthew Alalade (President Merchant Navy)
Engr. Matthew Alalade (President Merchant Navy)
The maritime industry is right on course since independence , it’s in line with the international best practice and conventions. At least with the recent conventions (ILO and IMO) shows that there has been massive development in the industry. The MLC 2006 convention has been ratified and it has been fully implemented. To a large extend the federal government is also supporting that aspect of the sector. As part of the development experienced in the sector, some maritime nations in Africa are yet to ratify the convention and that alone will tell you that we have improved since independence. Our maritime sector since independence is moving rapidly with international trend and I must say we are on course.
Mr Chima Sampson (Registrar, NIS)
The maritime sector is very slow in its developmental pace since 1960. Let's compare the newly industrialized nations like Singapore, Malaysia and Korea for instance; we cannot measure up to them. We started at the same time but you can ascertain their position today when compared to ours. With concession, the ports have improved in operations and also affected significantly our maritime and sea bound trade. Thus since 1960, when we gained independence, the maritime industry has been crawling.
Comrade Matthew Adele (Dockworker)
Talking about the industry since independence, I will say there has been improvement in the area of local content because our shipping fleet; as at 1980 in Nigeria was having 20 ships under Nigeria National Shipping Line(NNSL). The government was also planning of ship building factory in Nigeria. As at 1987, Nigerian government introduced Nigeria shipping policy under United Nation Commission for Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which was meant to improve domestic companies. It was also meant to give NPA a high degree of autonomy., recently in 2003, the Coastal and Inland Shipping Act (Cabotage) was established to also promote local and indigenous shipping lines, yet, as of now 70% seafarers operating in the country's inland water are foreigners, and as a result of this Nigerian is losing billions of naira to Cabotage, this was as a result of lack of indigenous fleet, and indigenous manpower. In conclusion, the sector is still staggering and improvement is quite slow.
Daniel Williams (PRO, FFAN)
The Maritime sector has recorded immense and tremendous changes since our independence. It is true we are not where we ought to be among maritime nations of the world, but I am also sure that we are not where we used to be, especially after the privatisation of the sea ports. The maritime sector unlike every other sector of the economy has suffered so many setbacks as a result of Government negligence that has led to infrastructural decay in the port, but after the privatisation things have improved a lot, the one and only major challenge the maritime sector is faced with today is the access road to our various ports. I strongly recommend that government should invest more on infrastructure development.
Chigozie Chikere, (Rector Emdee Shipping & Maritime College)
Nigerian maritime industry has recorded successes in notable areas though it still has a long way to go by international rating. Our maritime administration has an abysmally poor record of central planning and this has discouraged better policy coordination and implementation. In effect, maritime policy coordination and implementation alongside the entire business of shipping in Nigeria has had unimpressive fortunes since 1960. On the positive side however, port policies nationwide had generated city and regional development to varying degrees. Lagos and Port Harcourt evidently owed their industrial regions to the fact of port development. Nigeria has also had unfavourable experience with the development of the mercantile marine which imposed huge financial burden on government due to corruption and mismanagement and later collapsed with the demise of the country's national carrier; NNSL. The Cabotage law that was designed to make local players take over the coastal shipment of crude oil is yet to register any positive impact on the Nigerian maritime sector and the wider economy. Its prospects are blighted by a lack of indigenous fleet. In all, Nigeria missed many golden opportunities which other countries took advantage of. The result so far is not impressive though there is still hope in the horizon.
Rev. Jonathan Nicole (President, SALS)
The only level of growth as regards independence are: one Government is making so much money from the industry through: NPA, NIMASA, Customs etc. Also, the shipping companies and terminal operators are making huge revenue from the industry and it has not yielded any attractive change. No infrastructures, no freight lifters to service importers etc .The problems of clearing cargo are still lingering without any change. Shippers and manufacturers are suffering under the harsh attitude of operators in the ports, corruption is still prevalent and it is even getting worse. Government has not been able to control the negative thought pattern of major stakeholders in doing the right things. Nigerian Shippers Council’s appointment as Commercial Regulator should have helped if government gives adequate funding, but lack of funds by government is a problem for the council to effect a change.
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