Usman Sanusi (Chairman BOT, NAGAFF
It’s a pity that few bills that have to do with the maritime industry are still being held up at the House of Representatives. The most important of these bills is the Port and Harbour bill and we still talk about a regulatory agency for the maritime industry and the CISN bill. I will want to advice the National Assembly that they should please expedite actions. Apart from the Maritime Security Agency bill, I know they have done a lot of works on the other bills irrespective of the controversies we might have. Let the Reps still pass the bill to the upper chamber and then stakeholders will still make their inputs so that at the end of the day we will have the bills.
My only fear now is that the 2011 general election is by the corner and in a few months time, the Reps will begin to jostle between Abuja and their individual constituencies and may not have time for these bills. It is a problem because at the end of their tenure of four years, what will they consider as their achievement regarding the maritime industry? They should sit down articulate the needs of the industry and ensure that these bills sail through because to be frank with you, when the next assembly comes, they will have to start afresh.
Valentine Ekwomadu (Maritime Reporter)
The delay is not something that Nigerians will say is surprising to them considering the kind of legislative house that we have. The members of both houses have not actually understood the major work they are supposed to do and that is why throughout their stay so far, they have passed very minimal number of bills for the sector. Many of them do not understand the importance of the sector to the nation’s economy. So, if we don’t have people with the knowledge of the industry there, there is no way they will understand which bill is of importance to the economy. They just play politics with the whole bills and if you don’t lobby them, your bill will not see green lights. For example, if you look at the Ports and Harbour bill which is so important to the maritime sector, after the public hearing they made nonsense of what stakeholders contributed. So, the delay to me is very unfortunate because it is hampering the development of the maritime sector and drawing the economy backwards.
Onuchukwu James Clark (President, IMAN)
We have so many agencies operating in the maritime industry and most of them have duplicating assignments. We have the NIMASA in addition to other security agencies and the MASECA bill that is before the Senate is talking about security and I strongly want to believe that the Nigerian Navy is still doing fine. If the essence of the new bills will be to the advantage of the industry, if it will help the economy to grow and help the industry to generate more revenue for government, then it is the responsibility of the lawmakers to debate over it and passes it to law. But if they look at it after the public hearing and the debates and they feel that it’s not worth passing into law, then it should be thrown out. Our major concern as importers is to make the port more efficient.
Geoffrey Okorie (Products Depot manager)
Concerning the maritime sector bills, I believe there is an existing structure and unless they are found wanting in their obligations which is what can make them say they want to pass other bills, but if they are working as they should, I do not think there is any need to create another one. Rather they should be thinking on how to empower the existing agencies to make them function at their optimum level.
On the other hand, if the National Assembly feels that passing the bill into law will expedite maritime operations then they should go ahead.
Ossai Uwaka (Business man)
To me if the National Assembly should pass the proposed MASECA bill into law, by inference it means that NIMASA is not competent and has not been up and doing in its duties being an agency currently saddled with the responsibility as regards maritime safety and security. It is not only them because the Navy are also there, the marine police is there and others. The maritime security bill to me is a duplication of duties. Tomorrow another government will come on stream and another bill will be proposed, our problem in this country is that we are good in formulating policies, going to seminars and attending conferences, but the implementation has been our problem. When NIMASA was established there were lots of noise but what are they doing today? If the lawmakers see that the existing agencies are not functioning, they should scrap them all so that we can have a functioning maritime security in this country.
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