Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said Nigeria must take deliberate steps to optimise its rich maritime resources to consolidate the country’s status as a regional maritime hub.
Sanwo-Olu stated this on Thursday during the World Maritime Day celebrations, with the theme, “Seafarers: At the Core of Shipping’s Future,” hosted in the state.
The Governor, who was represented by the General Manager, Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, said, “Nigeria needs to consolidate her position as the maritime hub for West and Central Africa by fully harnessing her maritime resources and ensuring safety and security within our territorial waters and in the Gulf of Guinea.
“The maritime industry is a window to economic prosperity and national development of nations, and Lagos State has utilised its maritime status to foster national unity and cohesion as the Centre of Excellence.”
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, called for more attention to specialised training of seafarers, saying the Federal Government is committed to strengthening the National Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP).
Amaechi said seafaring had evolved from simple apprenticeship to specialised and rigorous nautical education due to the effects of digitalisation and the emergence of technologically advanced ships.
“In view of the emerging realities, more attention should be given to seafarers’ specialised trainings to be capable of performing expert tasks in their various fields of engagement on board vessels,” he said.
In his own address, Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, said the country prioritised the welfare of seafarers and had continued to work in close adherence to standards set by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) with regard to their wellbeing.
Jamoh extolled the strategic role of seafarers in the global supply chain and commended IMO for focusing on seafarers’ welfare since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019.
“NIMASA has continued to march in lockstep with the IMO on all matters concerning seafarers since the outbreak of COVID-19. We were the first to declare seafarers as essential workers on the African continent.
“We recognised that the COVID-19 pandemic had placed extraordinary demands on seafarers. During the lockdowns occasioned by the pandemic across the globe, seafarers remained in service, delivering critical supplies to feed and heal a sick and despairing world.
“In my view, seafarers will, no doubt, continue to remain at the core of shipping from past to present to future in line with this year’s theme of World Maritime Day,” Jamoh stated.
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