Former Head of State, General Abdusalami Abubakar, GCFR has urged the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to use the unharnessed potentials in the maritime industry to reshape and re-jig the nation’s economy.
Abdusalami who was represented by Rear Admiral Samuel Afolayan (rtd) gave this advice yesterday while delivering the keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 2015 edition of the Nigerian Maritime Expo, NIMAREX 2015 which is tagged “Nigeria: Regenerating Economic Growth Through the Maritime Sector”, held at Eko Hotel, Lagos.
Abdusalami who was the Chairman of the 2015 edition of the Expo said the sector is endowed with enormous potentials that remained untapped.
He said, “The quest by NIMAREX to showcase the enormous potentials of Nigeria as a maritime nation is a welcome development and the consideration to regenerate the economy at this auspicious point in our nationhood is indeed laudable.”
He also asked the President to adopt the communiqué that would be arrived at in the 2015 edition of NIMAREX to help reshape and re-jig the nation’s economy.
He opined that Nigeria is a naturally endowed maritime nation whose potentials must be harnessed for the good of the citizenry.
“I have taken a cursory look at the topics of the papers scheduled to be delivered at the conference session of this event and I am convinced that a lot of impact and useful suggestions under the roadmap will be made at the end of the expo.”
“I will advise the new government to consider the communiqué expected to be arrived at from the conference with a view to adopting the germane issues to assist in efforts to refocus and re-jig the economy for national prosperity.”
Also speaking, the Chairman, NIMAREX 2015 Planning Committee, Ayorinde Adedoyin said the exhibition was targeted at throwing up solutions that will enhance the economic fortunes of Nigeria.
He said with the dwindling price of crude oil at the International market, the organisers of the 2015 edition of the expo deemed it fit to help redirect the economy.
“In the light of the international economic situation which has adversely affected Nigeria’s monolithic economy primed on crude oil, organisers of NIMAREX deemed it timely and topical to address the rebuilding and re-engineering of the economy by throwing up challenges for the policy makers, private sector and all stakeholders in the generation of the Nigerian commonwealth to beam the searchlight on the maritime sector as possible purveyors of economic regeneration.”
Adedoyin said the expo would procure a governance roadmap primed on the maritime sector.
“It is my pleasure to invite you all to the conference sessions to make expedient contributions to the seriously challenging issues of maritime funding for vessel acquisition and tonnage building, sundry equipment procurement and auxiliaries,” he said.
The Chairman of the Planning Committee also enjoined all stakeholders to join hands for the development of the industry.
“There is need for all players and stakeholders in the maritime industry to join forces positively and not negatively; constructively and not destructively; patriotically, progressively and in accord; to join in the determined task of building a truly united, nationalistic and mutually beneficial industry.
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