The Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo, has received an interim report on the need to establish a national fleet.
“Nigeria is a maritime country and if Nigeria gets its acts together, the country will have no business looking for money from the oil sector as contribution to the GDP of the country,” Sambo said after receiving the report from the Nigerian Fleet Implementation Committee.
“I don’t know whether in the course of the committee’s consultations with other stakeholders, you were able to have some conversations with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) because if NNPC can give 100 % support, this matter can be closed in two months.”
Earlier, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council and Chairman of the committee, Emmanuel Jime, said the committee was set up to implement the recommendations in the report by an earlier ministerial committee on modalities for establishment of the national fleet.
“In the course of carrying out the mandate, lessons have been learnt and some modest achievements have been recorded. These have been captured in this interim report, which we are submitting today. The work is still ongoing and the goal of creating an enabling environment for the growth of sustainable Nigerian fleet will be achieved in due course.
“There were challenges that impeded the quick realization of the project as earlier envisaged. Shipping is international and competitive in nature and Nigeria cannot operate in isolation, hence the need for the operating environment to be similar to what obtains elsewhere. This has been a major challenge to the growth of the sector in Nigeria. Review of certain trade policies, access to funds and technical/human capacity are issues that need to be resolved,” Jime, who was represented by Jime who was represented by a member of the committee, Aminu Umar, said.
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