Kunle Aderinokun
owners Forum, Mrs Margaret Orakwusi, titled, “Maritime Industry as a Socio-Economic Enabler in Nigeria,” dwelled on the pivotal role of the sector in the country’s development effort.
“Maritime industry is one of the strongest catalysts for socio-economic development across the globe,” Orakwusi stated. She stressed that over 90 per cent of raw materials and finished goods were transported globally by sea.
She said with a coastline of 852 kilometres bordering the Atlantic Ocean in the Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria had abundant marine potential that were, however, largely untapped.
To fully harness Nigeria’s rich maritime potential, Orakwusi recommended a unified maritime policy that will capture the maritime sector and the port industry as a single entity; proper documentation of activities in the maritime sector; and moderation of freight costs.
“Nigeria maritime industry must be driven to its full capacity to generate the much needed foreign exchange and skilled and unskilled employment in the face of the dwindling fortune of the crude oil,” Orakwusi stated.
Orakwusi’s paper was discussed in a session moderated by Capt. Emmanuel Iheanacho, with the following discussants: Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Barr Hassan Bello, and representatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigeria Customs Service, and the United Kingdom Mission to Seamen.
The third paper, “Maritime Technical Development and Operations – An Imperative for Economic Development,” presented by Engr. Emmanuel Ilori, was discussed in a session anchored by Abdulsalam Mohammed. It had as discussants Rector, Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, Commodore Duja Effedua (rtd), and representatives of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Nigerdock, and the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation.
With a coastline of 852 kilometres, a maritime area of over 46,000 km2, a total freight cost of about $6 billion annually, and maritime component of the oil and gas industry valued at $8 billion, it is without dispute that Mother Nature was generous with maritime potential when she created Nigeria. But the country has faced plenty of challenges in terms of adequate development and utilisation of its latent maritime capabilities. Occasions like the World Maritime Day provide the right atmosphere for the cross-fertilisation of ideas and efforts on how to overcome the challenges.
The World Maritime Day is commemorated yearly by IMO, a specialised United Nations agency, on September 27 at its headquarters in London, but each member state is free to choose any date in the year to mark the day.
The big takeaway from this year’s World Maritime Day celebration in Nigeria, judging by the quality of the discussions and attendance, is that there is a new determination and zeal by stakeholders to overcome the challenges of the maritime industry and move the sector forward.