‘Why Ship Owners’ Association of Nigeria was Formed’
The President, Ship Owners’ Association of Nigeria (SOAN), Mr. Greg Ogbeifun, has the association was formed to promote the interest of Nigerian ship owners in the country.
Ogbeifun, who is also the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of , Starzs Investments Company Limited, told THISDAY on the sidelines of the recent formal unveiling of SOAN in Lagos that the association would among other functions provide a forum for dialogue among Nigerian Ship owners.
His words: “SOAN is set up to facilitate participation of Nigerian ship owners in international fora on shipping matters through effective representation in such meetings. To cultivate and maintain good relations with the government and maritime authorities by contributing expertise in formulating policies and regulations on national and maritime activities.”
Ogbeifun also noted that the association was not set up to be a pressure group or to agitate for contract but to create a road map for the government.
Against the backdrop of the speculations in some quarters that SOAN was formed by those who defected from the Nigerian Ship owners Association (NISA), Ogbeifun said: “All members of SOAN were still bonafide members of NISA. I am still a member of NISA and I am not aware of any member of SOAN that have resigned from NISA. We only formed SOAN to fill the gaps created by NISA.”
Ogbeifun, however, noted that there was a clear distinction between the two bodies.
“SOAN comprised ship owners with proven track records. SOAN comprises ship-owning companies with proven track records of activities in the in- dustry recognised by upstream and downstream sectors of the shipping industry as well as by the private and public sectors of the industry,” he said.
The Starzs Investments Company Limited CEO explained that there was need for ship owners to dialogue among themselves and with any other interests on topical issues and practices pertaining to the business of ship ownership and management.
On whether he has an agenda for the in-coming government to be headed by General Mohammadu Buhari (retired), Ogbeifun said: “We would not set agenda for the new government but will only set a road map for them. We are not a pressure group but a group of businessmen with proven track record.”
Immediate past DirectorGeneral, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr.
Temisan Omatseye, who is also a member of SOAN, said the association was set up by ship owners who know how the industry operates and know where the shoe pinches”.
According to Omatseye, who is a legal practitioner, everybody here owns vessels. “We are ship owners. We know where the shoe pinches and we will set agenda for the government. We are businessmen and we would not ask government for money but tell them how to open up the industry,” he said.
He enjoined the federal government to create avenue for them to be able to access funds to enable them carry out their obligations.
A former Director General, Government Inspector of Shipping, Mr. Olu Akinsoji, said that the establishment of SOAN signified good things to come into the maritime industry.