Follow Us on Google
Steve Agbota
Despite being one of the largest littoral states in Africa, Nigeria is missing on the ship ranking index due to challenges inhibiting its maritime sector.
This is coming as several indigenous shipping companies have either collapsed or are comatose over lack of patronage and failure of the cabotage shipping regime, among other nightmares.
The failure of the Ministry of Transport and its agency, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in disbursing the Cabbotage Vessels Financing fund to aid indigenous shipping development, were obvious reasons the giant of Africa was missing on the ranking index. Presently, Nigeria does not own its national fleet despite being oil producing nation. The Director-General of the Nigerian maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, said that Nigeria is well overdue for an active national fleet that would properly position it in the comity of maritime nations.
Dakuku stated this in Lagos when he played host to members of the National Fleet Implementation Committee (NFIC) at the headquarters of the agency, where he pointed out that National Fleet would energise the maritime sector, retain huge spending on freight in-country and create job opportunities to grow the economy.
He, however, declared the agency’s readiness to support the committee, saying the national fleet implementation is long overdue and so NIMASA will work assiduously with the committee to ensure that the national fleet is restored to its past glory so that Nigeria can be reckoned with in the comity of maritime nations.
