BY GODFREY BIVBERE

FEDERAL government has been urged to review its relationship with its neighbours in the region following the  failure of the country to pick the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) council seat recently.

Making the call in Lagos, a member of the governing council of the Council for the Regulation o Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), Dr. Zebulon Ikokide, said the need for the review became necessary following neoghbouring countries continuous disrespect for Nigeria despite all the sacrifice which the country render to them.

Ikokide pointed out that these countries only pay lip service to the Nigeria’s leadership position in the continent but in actual sense continue to disrespect the nation. He noted that all that Nigeria has been doing for these countries have not been beneficial to the nation.

The CRFFN boss further said that the major reason while the nation failed to pick the ticket apart from the refusal of some African state to support Nigeria, is that fact the the country did not lobby for the support of these countries as it used to do in the past.

He observed that the former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Ade Dosumu who did lobby other African countries to get Nigeria the Council seat in the past, had problems when he was to leave office.

This he continued, had made the new NIMASA boss, Patrick Akpobolokemi to be careful in the way he uses the funds of the apex maritime regulatory agency. On what the country benefited from being a member of the Council in the past, Ikokide pointed out that it bestored on the nation international recognition.

He however expressed regret that the country could not leverage on the international recognition because of the security situation in the country. He stressed the need for NIMASA to support the new maritime security bill before the National Assembly because only one agency can not effectively secure the nation’s waterways.

Similarly, Mr. Ibi Siddon, Managing Director of Union Admiralty Nigeria Limited, is of the opinion that with the size and operation of the country as regard maritime activities, the country actually deserves the Council seat at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

However, he pointed out that the fact that “we are not organised” makes it difficult for “us to have the seat.” Sidoon explained that the four years that the country was in the council, there was no benefit to Nigerians or Nigeria.