A Maritime Lawyer has bemoaned the uncoordinated regulatory framework and interagency rivalry among Federal Government agencies in the maritime sector.
The lawyer who craved anonymity however asked the National Assembly to as a matter of urgency pass into law the National Transport Commission Bill in order to address the conflicts of interest in the Maritime industry.
According to the Lawyer, various agencies of government within the country’s Transport Ministry have a lot of haphazard uncoordinated activities.
He said, “For instance, between the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) there are conflicts of interest over wreck removal; between NIMASA and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) there is conflict over who controls the inland waterways. This has affected the industry.
The legal practitioner however called for the coordination of the regulatory framework in the Transportation industry which he said was possible through the Transport Commission Bill.
He also said when passed into law, the bill would facilitate healthy competition.
“The National Transport Commission Bill shall create an economic regulatory framework for the provision of transportation services and facilities, facilitate effective competition, promote competitive markets and ensure that the misuse of monopoly power is prevented in the provision of transport service.
He said the bill was to provide a regulatory framework for the Transportation sector.
Copyright Ships & Ports Ltd. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit given to www.shipsandports.com.ng as the source.