Minister of transport, Alhaji Ibrahim Bi has described the nation’s maritime sector has a catalogue of regrets stressing that the sector has performed below average on all fronts.
The Minister gave the unsavoury score card last week at the opening of the first national shipping conference which was organised by Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC).
Bio who mourned the demise of the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL), said he was sad that today Nigeria could not boast of a single ship out of 21 ships it had in the1970’s,even as he drew a comparison with Malaysia, which he noted, had seven ships in the 1970’s but now has over 200 ocean liners .
The same position was adopted by chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur who said it was not good that over 40 years after independence, Nigeria does not have enough public and private merchant fleet to transport her imports and exports.
Tukur said there is the need to address the rebirth of the nation’s merchant fleet, adding that it does not necessarily have to be government-owned, “but government must play a role as either a facilitator or an enabler.’’
Tukur said there is the need to address the rebirth of the nation’s merchant fleet, adding that it does not necessarily have to be government-owned, “but government must play a role as either a facilitator or an enabler.’’
Continuing his lamentation on the state of the Nigerian maritime sector, the minister added that the nation could not also boast of a port with a draught of 16 to 18 meters to accommodate big modern ships.
And expressed shock that today, the level of piracy in our waters is ranked next to Somalia.
The Minister also said that Nigeria witnessed annual port congestion from November to December when vessels stayed for two to three months waiting to berth and yet the nation still boasts of carrying 70 per cent of goods in the sub-region.
He urged all stakeholders including the Shippers’ Council to wake up as captains of the maritime industry to determine what was wrong.
And expressed shock that today, the level of piracy in our waters is ranked next to Somalia.
The Minister also said that Nigeria witnessed annual port congestion from November to December when vessels stayed for two to three months waiting to berth and yet the nation still boasts of carrying 70 per cent of goods in the sub-region.
He urged all stakeholders including the Shippers’ Council to wake up as captains of the maritime industry to determine what was wrong.
Alhaji Bio however tasked both the private investors and foreign partners to develop a vibrant shipping industry. According to him, Nigeria’s public and private sectors must of necessity cooperate to create a synergy that would bring about the much-needed rapid growth of the nation’s shipping industry.
Every effort must be made to develop the nation’s shipping industry if we are to achieve our national aspiration of joining the ranks of 20 most economically developed countries of the world by 2020’’, he said.
Every effort must be made to develop the nation’s shipping industry if we are to achieve our national aspiration of joining the ranks of 20 most economically developed countries of the world by 2020’’, he said.
He said that the success of the ministry’s strategy of developing and upgrading the nation’s critical transport infrastructure depended on increased private sector participation.
But the minister harped on the need for a cost effective transport system, stressing that it is an indispensable tool in accelerating and sustaining development and economic growth of nations.
But the minister harped on the need for a cost effective transport system, stressing that it is an indispensable tool in accelerating and sustaining development and economic growth of nations.
Bio said that the on-going efforts of his ministry to design and implement a comprehensive National Transport Policy underscored this reality.
The Minister said that the National Transport Policy was aimed at developing a master plan for the nation’s transport sector that will ensure a well-coordinated, efficient, systematic and balanced development of the transport sector.
He said that this would ensure that the nation’s transport sector is able to contribute optimally to the rapid economic growth and development of the nation as envisaged in Mr President’s Seven-Point Agenda and the Millennium Development Goals to becoming one of the top 20 economies of the world by year 2020.
The NSC Executive Secretary, Capt Adamu Biu also said that one of the challenges facing the industry is that indigenous participation in vessel ownership and carriage of the nation’s imports and exports had progressively diminished to almost a zero level.
Biu expressed regret that Nigerian ports had not fared any better, saying that “while some of them (ports) are grossly under-utilised for various reasons, others experience recurrent congestion and all have attendant negative effects on our national economy.’’
The Minister said that the National Transport Policy was aimed at developing a master plan for the nation’s transport sector that will ensure a well-coordinated, efficient, systematic and balanced development of the transport sector.
He said that this would ensure that the nation’s transport sector is able to contribute optimally to the rapid economic growth and development of the nation as envisaged in Mr President’s Seven-Point Agenda and the Millennium Development Goals to becoming one of the top 20 economies of the world by year 2020.
The NSC Executive Secretary, Capt Adamu Biu also said that one of the challenges facing the industry is that indigenous participation in vessel ownership and carriage of the nation’s imports and exports had progressively diminished to almost a zero level.
Biu expressed regret that Nigerian ports had not fared any better, saying that “while some of them (ports) are grossly under-utilised for various reasons, others experience recurrent congestion and all have attendant negative effects on our national economy.’’
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