Lucky Amiwero (CMDLCA)
Look at the maritime industry, it is supposed to be the money spinner for the economy, but because many people who have been appointed into positions do not understand the industry, when they go through learning procedure and at the end of the day, they come out with policy that you still have to midwife and these policies cannot be actually implemented. When you go to other countries like Ghana, Senegal, Togo, they appoint ministers who understand the industry, but what we have in Nigeria are minister who don’t understand the industry or appointees who don’t understand the industry.
The maritime industry have never faired well in the past 48 years, we are not benefiting from what we are supposed to have benefited from in terms of capacity building, in terms of convention, trade etc.. Even though we control 85 percent of the cargo within the sub region, we are backward when it comes to implementation of policies, designing policies and operating policies.
Nigeria has actually witnessed a lot of setbacks in the maritime industry, a serious one for that matter, and we believe we have to go into sober reflection for us to look into what we have and what can be done.
Comrade Omeiza Umar, (President, NPA SSA)
The independence celebration is a welcome development, but the only thing is that the development that we have witnessed is an epileptic one. We are expecting to take cues from those that are before us and to have developed on a faster level.
However we find ourselves moving at no speed. We are also telling the government that they should look at rail and water and the rail mode to complement one another, by so doing we will enhance faster delivery of goods to consignees. We will want the government to be more serious with the dry port project, because it will help the hinterland and also create employment opportunities. Government should also make our waterways to be free of pirates’ attacks as well as that of the Niger Delta militants. Government should settle it once and for all because it is affecting the maritime industry as a whole.
Sampson Chima (Assistant Registrar NIS)
There is need for more transformation even though for sometime now, we have been witnessing some form of transformation. I think it calls for celebration, especially because of the concession, but we should all keep working harder so that we will all celebrate it at the end of the day when everybody will now reap the benefit.
However, government policies are affecting the industry; we need professionals to man the industry. But, I can score the maritime sector since independence in 1960 average.
Capt Thomas Kemewerigha (Master Mariner)
We are beginning from the beginning. The industry is beginning to grow with the form of management we have in NIMASA now, we are heading in the right direction.
The government should expand the training opportunities for seafarers by acquiring one or two training vessels and making sure all the ship owners are mandated to have cadets on their vessels as a condition for renewal of their license at NIMASA.
Dr. Boniface Aniebonam (Founder, NAGAFF)
Shipping services is a derived demand in the 48 years of our independence placed Nigeria in the front burner of maritime trade and logistics.
Our population is a large market for foreign trade; therefore shipping services and customs administration have played vital roles in our economy in the past 48 years of our independence.
It is most unfortunate that we did not take advantage of becoming a maritime nation, export carriage from Nigerian based on Free On Board value, while our import is based on Cost Insurance and Freight value. This is too bad for any economic argument at 48 years, but with good leadership, fear of God, hard work, human capacity development, finances and respect for expertise in shipping and customs administration, we can compete with other maritime nations in the near future. The desire for balance of trade in shipping services can then be realized shortly, but in every honesty, corruption as a societal ill has taken its toll on shipping on shipping in Nigeria at 48years. May God in his wisdom help us to overcome.
Olanrewaju Awode (Freight Forwarder)
We are still on the average level of the development in the maritime industry, taking it from the freight forwarders perspective, because there are issues of corruption everywhere in the ports, though reduced to an extent, customs unit as well as security agencies in the ports are too many.
On the issue of destination inspection, I don’t believe Nigeria has grown up to the stage, reason been that, we have seen that Nigerian Customs Service is ready, but some of the shipping companies are causing setbacks, therefore, they are not ready for 48 hours cargo clearance.
The issue of omission of manifest page from bulk manifest are also part of the possible problems encountered, and at the terminals, the issues of official closing and opening hours of those at the scanning site should be looked into by the necessary bodies in charge. With all these in place I think we will get there.
Mrs Florence Ojo (Maritime consultant)
I think the Nigeria maritime industry has really improved though on a very slow pace, but I believe we will get there with hard work and diligence.
The government should look into the issue of indigenous shipping operations by empowering our ship owners and also acquiring vessels for our cadets at MAN Oron. Some sets of students have just graduated and are now in the labour market, for how long are we going to continue with this? It really calls for sober reflection just as Mr. President.
It’s high time we women in shipping created a kind of platform that will enable young women embrace shipping and not see it as an entirely men affair as they call it. We need to create an impact just like Dora Akunyili of NAFDAC and the Minister of Transport, Deizani Allison Madueke etc by educating the young ones and doing something worth remembering for them.
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