Mr Eugene Nweke, President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), has asked the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to ensure the enforcement of Cabotage Act 2003.
He said on Tuesday in Lagos that NIMASA should consider the interest of indigenous ship owners first in the Cabotage regime, to achieve the full objectives of the coastal trade.
Mr Eugene Nweke, President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), has asked the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to ensure the enforcement of Cabotage Act 2003.
He said on Tuesday in Lagos that NIMASA should consider the interest of indigenous ship owners first in the Cabotage regime, to achieve the full objectives of the coastal trade.
NAN reports that the Cabotage Act was passed in 2003 by the National Assembly, to ensure that indigenous ship owners dominate the coastal and inland shipping activities.
Nweke suggested that the National Assembly should move fast to amend the contents of the Act and come up with a perfect document that would justify the purpose for which the Act was enacted.
“The revenue that we derive from the system will come to Nigerians. It will also reduce unemployment because most people will now employ Nigerians to work on their ships.
"Cabotage Act will also boost our image and will also bring about competition among the shipping industry,’’ Nweke said.
He urged government to assist the relevant National Assembly committees on Marine Transport to come up with suitable modalities for the operations of the Cabotage Act that would be favourable to the society at large.
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