The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday said that the state is responsible for more than 70 per cent of maritime activities in Nigeria.
The Governor said this when he received the management team on the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Agency, (NIMASA), who visited his office.
Sanwo-Olu said the state and the Federal Government must therefore work together to promote the address and address challenges posed to the state by maritime activities.
He said, “Another area of partnership is in the area of wreckage. Once we find those wreckages, we should put them out. We are at the stage of completing 15 jetties in the state. We have moved over 250,000 passengers through our ferries in less than a year. Our plan is to develop the waterways where people do a lot. It is a deliberate strategy we need to look at.”
The Director-General of NIMASA, Bashir Jamoh, said in spite of high rate of insecurity in the maritime sector in the country, Lagos remains the state with the best maritime security.
“We are seeing the extinction of the fishery industry due to maritime insecurity. 98 per cent of the maritime insecurity originates from land to sea but Lagos still remains the state that has the highest maritime security,” he said.
He said the maritime industry, if well harnessed, could generate $90 trillion for the country and help diversify the economy.