Following the recent appointments into the boards of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Nigeria Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association has urged maritime operators to be involved in federal and states politics for the sector growth and efficiency.
The senior staff union observed that there are not enough maritime experts in government, which in turn is affecting the industry in terms of achieving desired growth.
National President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC)-affiliate; Engineer Matthew Alalade told Shipping Position Daily, exclusively in Lagos yesterday that the recent appointment of Chief Executive Officers and members of governing boards of key agencies in the maritime industry was highly politically-motivated, thus there is the need for operators to be actively engaged in the political arena.
Engineer Alalade maintained that operators in the sector have better chances to occupy key positions in government organisations, if only they were politically inclined, adding that maritime stakeholders are almost totally inactive in Nigerian politics.
He called on maritime stakeholders to be seen in the forefront of both states and national politics, in order to add value to the sector.
Alalade, who doubles as the TUC auditor urged stakeholders, such as: master mariners, marine engineers, ship owners, maritime lawyers, maritime journalists, freight forwarders, women in shipping, maritime unions to be deeply involved in politics, so as to find lasting solutions to some of the challenges being faced in the sector through political appointment.
"It appears that our operators in the maritime sector are more concerned about the sector alone and are not active in politics"
"Unlike most sectors, there are more politically-minded individuals that have attracted attention of the government to their industry therefore, I will advise that we from the maritime sector should work towards ensuring that we partake fully in politics", he advised.
Speaking further, he said, "I will urge maritime practitioners come out from the sector and positions they occupy in the maritime sector and go into politics in order to add value to the sector, irrespective of their appointments while there as political juggernauts"
"We need people from the industry to go into politics in order to advise government on issues concerning the sector because despite the fact that the industry is next to the oil and gas industry, government is not paying the required attention for it to develop", he lamented.
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