League of Maritime Editors Congratulates Sambo

…List Critical Priority Areas of Attention

BY EGUONO ODJEGBA

The League of Maritime Editors and Publishers (LOMEP) has congratulated the newly appointed Minister of Transportation, Engr. Mu’azu Sambo and urged him to expedite corrective action on seven key priority areas before the end of his limited tenure.

The open letter dated July 7, 2022 and signed by LOMEP’s  President, Kingsley Anaroke and Secretary General Francis Ugwoke,  noted that the news of his appointment was a cheering, especially on the backdrop of the fact that he is not only a maritime technocrat but one that has crisscrossed the industry and fully appreciates the demand for what is required to grow the industry.

The letter reads:

“We refer to the recent announcement by President Muhammadu Buhari appointing you as the Honourable Minister of Transportation, and wish to congratulate you over this cheering news.

We must say that we are indeed delighted about this considering your rich background in the transport industry, having worked at top level in the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and in other national assignments.”

AGENDA SETTING:

Honourable Minister, although we are fully aware of the short stay you may have in the industry with the tenure of this administration coming to an end early next year, we however believe that you can do your best within the time limit. In view of this, we wish to call on you to address the following issues within the time you have in the industry:

CVFF Disbursement

As you are aware, the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) which value is put at $350m   for the development of indigenous shipping   has remained undisbursed  for decades now. Industry stakeholders have continued to lament to no avail. Recently, the outgone Minister of State for Transportation, Senator Gbemisola Saraki, had indicated that every effort is being made for this fund to be disbursed. We urge you, Sir, to ensure that the fund is disbursed during your own tenure as it is for the development of the shipping sector. The disbursement of the  fund is imperative because of the gap it will fill in  indigenous shipping development.

War Against Piracy

Nigeria currently is celebrating its victory for being able to win the war against piracy and armed robbery on her territorial waters and Gulf of Guinea in the past six months. Over the years, Nigeria and other West African countries have been under attack over the sordid security crisis in the GoG  until last year. We wish to urge you to ensure that this victory is sustained  to save Nigeria from the negative image abroad and surcharge from conference liners on freight rates for cargoes destined for the country.

NTC Bill

The National Transport Commission (NTC)  which  expected assent by the President failed about three years ago is back on the drawing board. We urge you to push this bill more seriously at the various levels where it is currently for it to sail through again and be accented by the President. The passage of the NTC bill will no doubt have positive impact on the entire transport industry.

Port Infrastructure Overhaul

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is currently proposing a general rehabilitation of   ports infrastructure in Lagos and the Eastern ports. This is considering decay in facilities and the negative effect on shipping, particularly for vessels calling at our ports. We urge the Honourable Minister to give this project the much needed political will for the sake of having an efficient port operations in line with the role of the NPA as the landlord of the system.

War Against Corruption in Ports

The federal government is currently working towards repositioning the nation’s ports  to be in line with global ports devoid of fraudulent practices and inefficiency. This has led to the introduction of the Nigerian  Port Process Manual (NPPM), metamorphosing also into the establishment of Port Task Force to achieve efficiency in ports operations and eliminate all forms of corrupt practices. We urge you to give this the much needed political will to make our ports like what obtains in other advanced ports.

Automation

Current practices in the ports leave much to be desired. Most of the operations are physically carried out. This leads to delay.  This is because  the role of technology is not being played up.   We urge the Honourable Minister to use  the time left for this noble assignment to ensure that operations in Nigerian ports are  fully automated in what will eliminate physical contact that has led most times to corruption.

Conclusion

We want to observe that the needs of the industry cannot be exhausted, and we urge you to engage experts for necessary advice on the best you can do within the shortest time left. We believe that the industry stakeholders who speak well of you will be gladdened over your quick intervention on these industry issues.

Once again, we send our warmest regards and candid prayers that God guides you in this national assignment. We also wish to extend our hands of fellowship   for this national assignment. In other words, we are ready to partner with you.

As you may be aware, the League of Maritime Editors & Publishers, is a foremost maritime Journalists Association based in Lagos spanning over two decades of existence. All our members are esteemed members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ Lagos Council.