Senate assures on passage of outstanding maritime bills to enhance growth
Determined to grow the nation’s economy through increased contribution of maritime sector to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the upper chamber of the National Assembly has promised to leave no stone unturned in ensuring that every bill relevant to the growth of the maritime sector got the required legislative backing within the shortest time possible.
Ahmed Sani Rufai, chairman Senate Committee on Marine Transport, who gave the assurance in Lagos last week during a one day maritime stakeholders’ assembly organised by the committee in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Transportation, said that the committee will partner the Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMOT) to pay more attention to the development of the maritime sector.
Sani listed some of the maritime industry-related bills currently under consideration in the National Assembly to include the Nigerian Ports Authority (Act repeal and re-enactment) Bill 2016; Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2018; Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage Act) Bill, 2018; and Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences Bill 2018.
“One of the reasons we are here is to discuss the progress, challenges and the way forward for the realisation of a robust maritime sector in Nigeria. We will, therefore, depend on feedback from the stakeholders, which will help in our legislative processes,” Sani stated in a statement signed by Isichei Osamgbi, head, Corporate Communications of NIMASA.
According to him, the Senate was willing to partner with stakeholders in the sector through proper legislation to find ways of harnessing the opportunities that abound in the maritime sector.
Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of Transportation, who said that the Federal Government was committed to the growth of the maritime sector, added that the growth could only be achieved through proper legislation.
Amaechi, who was represented by the director, Maritime Services of the FMOT, Galadenchi, also pledged the commitment of the ministry to partnering with the Senate and industry stakeholders to enable the Nigerian maritime sector fully realise its enormous opportunities.
Dakuku Peterside, director-general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), who delivered a goodwill message at the occasion, commended the Senate Committee on Marine Transport for its doggedness and patriotism in ensuring that the sector took its rightful place in the comity of maritime nations.
Peterside said NIMASA is committed to the realisation of a robust maritime sector in the country through collaboration with the committee and other stakeholders.
He called for synergy among sister agencies in the maritime sector, saying it is the only way to fully harness the opportunities in the sector.
Peterside appealed to the Senate to ensure speedy passage of the anti-piracy bill to provide a legal backing for the prosecution of issues relating to piracy and other criminal activities on the nation’s territorial waters.
Industry stakeholders at the event bemoaned the state of the access roads to the ports and called on the Senate Committee to assist in finding a lasting solution to the congestion on the roads.
They believed that there is need for the government to pay more attention to the maritime sector for the country’s economic prosperity.
Also, Temisan Omatseye, former director-general of NIMASA said that one of the ways to optimise the benefits of the maritime sector was to decentralise the ports and make them more attractive and competitive.
He further said this would help to boost investor confidence and decongest the traffic situation in the Lagos ports.
Kunle Folarin, chairman of the Ports Consultative Council, welcomed the Federal Government’s attempt to provide viable port access roads in Nigeria. “An efficient multimodal transport system is the only way to realise a viable maritime sector that can compete favourably with others in the world.”