NIMS: Sanwo-Olu Tasks Maritime Stakeholders to take advantage of territorial waters

The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu has advised that Nigeria needs to consolidate its position as a maritime hub for West and Central Africa.

Speaking at the Nigeria International Maritime Summit in Lagos, the governor said the stakeholders should ensure that Nigeria should fully harness its maritime resources and ensure safety and security in our territorial water and in the Gulf of Guinea.

The Governor was represented by Mr Oluwadamilola Emmanuel MD Lagos State Waterways Authority.

He noted that the costal water which is strategic to our economic calculation has made Lagos state to take advantage of its costal environment in boosting its socio economic activities.

This he said led to the government’s efforts to attract investors locally and internationally.

“We are however determined, despite current challenges to create a necessary environment not only in the maritime industry but optimum utilization of all economic opportunities for sustainable national development. I have no doubt that this gathering of industry experts will contribute to the sustainable development of the Nigerian Maritime Sector”.

Also, Mr Binyah Kesselly, immediate past commissioner, Liberia Maritime Authority, said that the economic base of each country needed to be completed so that synergy of countries to attain maritime nation could be felt.

He advocated the need for specialisation, saying that each country should have their biggest advantage, like Nigeria being a gateway for port for other countries.

“The starting point should be the comparative advantage which each country has, and everyone must be integrated,” he said.

NPA MANAGEMENT AT THE NIGERIA INTERNATIONAL MARITIME SUMMIT (NIMS) IN LAGOS — The Representative of the Acting Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Executive Director, Marine and Operations, Hon. Onari Brown (middle), Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Emmanuel Jime and Chairman, House Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration, Hon. Lynda Chuba-Ikpeazu during the Nigeria International Maritime Summit in Lagos.

In her welcome speech, the Chairperson of the NIMS, Mrs Mfon Usoro, stressed the need to bring all necessary Ministries together in bid to get them in sync to adopt a holistic maritime national strategy.

According to her, a whole government approach to adopt the maritime industry growth is key to attaining the anticipated goals of the shipping sector.

“How can we have Nigerians that own vessels but choose to use the shipping registries of other nations?

“This Summit focuses the attention of policy makers, regulators and the industry operators on a critical segment that some consider the substratum for economic growth, the centerpiece for commerce, security and indeed livelihood,” she said.

The Representative of the Acting Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Executive Director, Marine and Operations, Hon. Onari Brown (5th left), Chairman, House Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration, Hon. Lynda Chuba-Ikpeazu during the NIMS in Lagos.

Also Mr Emeka Akabogu, Chief Executive Officer, NIMS, said the essence of the summit was to harness the potentiality in the maritime sector, adding that the abundance of industry across the sector needs to be represented in the output in the sector.

He said that this could work if there was a cohesive framework. All the resources in individual subsector becoming useful and harnessed to become a market.

L-R: The Convener, Nigeria International Maritime Summit Dr. Emeka Akabogu, the Representative of the Acting MD NPA, Executive Director, Marine and Operations, Hon. Onari Brown, Former GM, Special Duties, Carol Ufere, Chairman, Ship Owners Forum, Margret Onyema-Orakwusi, General Manager, Corporate & Strategic Communications, NPA, Olaseni Alakija during the Nigeria International Maritime Summit in Lagos.

“So we are here to achieve a market place for the maritime industry so that whoever that is coming within the waters of west and central Africa will see Nigeria as a compulsory destination for transit.

“That way they will spend money and this will impact on the Nigerian maritime sector,” he said.