By Godfrey Bivbere

THe Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA has been charged to focus on empowerment of indigenous operators in the maritime sector to grow the economy and create In an exclusive chat with Vanguard in Lagos, factional leader of the Nigeria Ship-owners Association, NISA, Capt. Niyi Labinjo, said that the federal government through NIMASA need to enforce various policies in the sector if the economy must grow.

According to Labinjo, there is need for socio economy policy as regards the maritime sector and when this is done we will own ships and so many shipping companies would spring up.

“They (shipping companies) would employ more Nigerians, they would pay taxes and our Gross Domestic Product, GDP, would increase but if they don’t encourage the development and growth of shipping companies, they would not own ships, they would not employ Nigerians, we would not pay taxes and our GDP would not increase.

“If everybody coming to NIMASA can see it like that, it would help in the growth and development of shipping in Nigeria so that the shipping companies that are in existence can grow. The manning agencies that want to come into existence would get work to do very well” he explained.