By Godfrey Bivbere

Operators in the maritime industry  have expressed disappointment with the level of development in the industry in 2012  and therefore  called on the federal government to pay more attention to the industry  in the new year.

They were of the opinion that an effectively managed and operated industry has the capacity to further boost the nation’s economy, as well as create the much needed jobs for the army of unemployed youths in the country.

National President of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Eugene Nweke, told Vanguard that government seems not to be interested in  exploitation of the potentials of the sector.

Nweke who noted that Nigeria as a country can not afford to continue the way it has been going over the years, called on government to commence the process of revamping the industry.

According to him, the first step “is for government to beginning to make the right pronouncement, policies that will drive the development of the sector because of the important role of maritime to the nation’s economy.”

File photo

He noted that government must work at ensuring that the nation’s ports are more functional and are operated in line with the international best practices. He also stressed the need for government to ensure that local content aspect of all operations in the maritime sector as applied as it is obtainable in the oil and gas industry.

The National President of NAGAFF pointed out that there is  need for  government to ensure that Nigerians are helped and encouraged to acquired vessels. Nweke also said there is need for government to work at seeing the steel mills in the country begin production again as a means of encouraging the ship building capacity of the nation.

He noted that production of steel and building of ships will benefit the economy as well as help reduce the unemployment level in the country. He disclosed that for ship building, the shipyards can start with small vessels and develop with time, instead of remaining  dumping ground for technologies around the world.

Similarly, former President of the Association Association of Master Mariners of Nigeria (AMMN), Capt. Niyi Adeyemo, said last year there was nothing substantial in the industry. Adeyemo noted that most of the things that  occurred were flukes, force hopes, things that operators expected government to do which were not done.

He pointed out that the issue of ship acquisition has remained a big concern to operators and that government continues to pay lip service to it.  He complained about government’s unending promise about the Cabotage Vessel Finance Fund (CVFF) for which promises for its distribution have been made severally and such promises have not been kept.

Adeyemo also complained about continued domination of the carriage of the nation’s crude by foreign operators and promises that have been made in the past. He pointed out that several meetings have been held between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the body of indigenous operators under the aegis of Indigenous Ship owners Association of Nigeria (ISAN), where assurances for slot were given to them and based on which they made huge investment.

The former AMMN President said based of NNPC’s slot assurance, they had gotten technical partners and acquired huge vessels in readiness for their participation but NNPC did not go beyond the promise it.

He however commended the management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) for its capacity development efforts, which he attributed to the appointment of some professionals as part of the team.

He expressed the hope that government will be alive to its responsibilities for the sector in the new year. Asked what responsibilities he is referring to, Adeyemo noted that the Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Abubakar, who seems to be focusing on the waterways and railway systems, must as a matter of priority start paying the same level of attention, if not more, to the maritime industry.

He called on government to ensure that indigenous operators get their own vessels through the disbursement of the CVFF.  He also noted that there is need for government to ensure that indigenous operators are included in the lifting of the nation’s crude.

He also charged his colleagues to put their house in order to ensure that they met the expected level for them to be taking seriously.

General Manager in charge of Public Affairs of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Chief Michael Ajayi, said the Authority would collaborate and work with other stakeholders to achieve improvement shipping, port operations, security, cargo delivery and port management.

Ajayi also said that they would work at ensure an improvement in the cargo throughput in the country’s ports this year.

The of Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN), has faulted the federal government over its “lackluster attitude towards effective development of the maritime industry in 2012”.

The MARAN President, Mr. Bolaji Akinola, in a statement in Lagos said: “In 2012, the maritime industry did not fare any better than in previous years. We did not see any significant effort by government to turn around the fortunes of the sector.”

The association said that indigenous participation in the shipping sector was at its lowest ebb in the past year resulting in many local shipping companies shutting down their operations.

“Ships owned by Nigerian and that are engaged in the coastal trade are wasting away on our waters while Greek ships are having a field day. This has been the case in almost a decade and it became even worse in 2012. The fortune of Nigerian ship owners has nose-dived and taken a turn for the worse. The resultant effect is that over 80 percent of Nigerian shipping companies have closed shop”, Akinola stated.