The tasks before the new leader, Muhammadu Buhari, are daunting and challenging, especially in view of the fact that the nation’s economy has not been managed well by the outgoing government.
The maritime sector, which ought to be an economic goldmine for Nigeria, has not been able to live up to its billing.
Stakeholders are of the opinion that the nation’s maritime sector has what it takes to be investors’ destination in the next few decades but the inherent challenges therein have continued to deny Nigeria this valuable advantage.
Beautiful as the cabotage shipping law is, indigenous shipping firms are struggling to survive the dominance of the shipping business by foreign companies.
Nigeria is currently said to be losing N1.8trillion annually to foreign ship owners in cargo haulage.
Besides, the cost of doing business in the maritime sector is of concern to stakeholders who believe that the development is counter-productive to the growth of the sector.
There was also the issue of undue interference of the politicians in the activities of some of the agencies in the maritime sector.
Penultimate week, a federal high court in Lagos stopped President Goodluck Jonathan and other government agencies from carrying out the order to relocate $500million oil project from LADOL Free Trade Zone in Lagos to Agga in Balyesa State.
The change of leadership in Nigeria, no doubt, gives maritime operators in the country the leeway to appraise the sector and set agenda for the incoming administration of Buhari.
The Acting President of Nigerian Indigenous Ship-owners Association (NISA), Aminu Umar, advised the incoming government to establish a maritime development bank in the country, saying that the development will put an end to the dominance of the sector by foreigners.
The NISA boss explained that indigenous ship owners stand to benefit more if a maritime development bank was established.
He said that the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) could be used as a bail out to Nigerians who are interested in investing in the sector with little or no interest rate.
He said: “Access to funding is one of the biggest issues that affect the operations and ship investment in Nigeria. There is a CVFF, but the NISA says that there is no point in giving the CVFF money to just about six companies.”
Also, the Chairman, Nigerian Ports Consultative Council (PCC), Otunba Kunle Folarin said: “We should ask ourselves whether the investors can sustain competiveness.
“When there is an alternative transport mode, will it affect the demand of the policy?”
The Deputy President, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Barr Fred Akokhia, said that the auto policy is a catalyst for industrialisation in the country.
He however advised the government not to rush into implementing the policy, saying: “Government should not rush into implementing the policy. Rather, they should check for what led to the mistakes of the past in order not to repeat it. We should do it in a way that when we come out of it, it would be a near perfect policy.”
On his part, the National Publicity Secretary of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Kayode Farinto, described the auto policy as “dead on arrival”.
He queried why NAC has failed to use the money generated under the two percent NAC levy to develop the automobile industry.
“NAC should empower various higher institutions so that they could do research and develop new technologies.
“We must ensure that there is stable electricity because without stable electricity, we can’t get the policy right.”
The Town Hall Meeting, organised by Ships & Ports Communication Company, was attended by representatives of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigerian Shippers Council, Nigeria Customs Service, and Nigerian Ports Consultative Council, freight forwarding associations, importers, and auto dealers.
Meanwhile, terminal operators, under the aegis of the Seaports Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), also stated its willingness to collaborate with the incoming government to build world class deep seaports equipped with modern facilities.
Towards this end, STOAN has extended an olive branch to Muhammadu Buhari, insisting that new deep seaports would boost the economy.
STOAN Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr Bolaji Akinola, who made this statement at the weekend in Lagos, said that it would pay the incoming administration to collaborate with the riverine states to fast-track the establishment of the deep seaports.
He explained that though there are some deep seaports in the offing in Badagry, Lekki, Ibaka and in Age in Bayelsa State are all their various planning stages, adding that the involvement of STOAN in the development of these deep seaports cannot be over emphasised.
Akinola said there was need to rebuild, expand and rehabilitate the ports’ access roads as palliative measures.
“We also need to talk of expanding, because trade is expanding. Over the past five years, the volume of imports, through the port, has doubled whereas the road infrastructure remained the same.”
Akinola said that the building of pipelines would reduce the impact of trucks on roads as oil products would be transported through the pipelines.
Above all, stakeholders are of the opinion that the incoming government should exhibit the political will to fix the ills besetting the maritime sector and reposition it to add value to the lives of Nigerians.
