Today is World Maritime Day 2016 but for the second time in row, Nigeria is not joining in the celebration. Indeed, the Buhari administration has never been part of the World Maritime Day celebration.
Before the advent of the Buhari administration, Nigeria never missed the opportunity to highlight the importance of the maritime industry through observance of the annual United Nations-recognised event.
The theme of the 2016 World Maritime Day is “Shipping: indispensable to the world”.
The event is currently being observed in several maritime countries across the globe and at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) headquarters in London.
When SHIPS & PORTS DAILY contacted the Director in charge of Press at the Federal Ministry of Transport (FMOT), Mrs. Yetunde Sonaike, to find out the state of things with regards to the celebration of the event, she promised to make some findings and get back to us, but is yet to do so.
It will be recalled that last year, the FMOT, after postponing that year’s World Maritime Day celebration three times in two weeks, was eventually forced to cancel it altogether due to lack of funds.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO), which is a specialised arm of the United Nations, created World Maritime Day to celebrate the international maritime industry’s contribution towards the world’s economy.
The event’s date varies by country but it is typically observed on the last Thursday of September every year.
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