The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, has recommended the establishment of a national shipping carrier through Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement for freight transport in the country.
The minister stated this during a facility tour of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) headquarters, her Skill Acquisition Center, Search and Rescue Base Clinic, Maritime Resource Center and others in Lagos.
The minister in a statement issued Wednesday by the Director of Press, Henshaw Ogubike, also expressed his determination to reposition the maritime sector for the welfare and wellbeing of Nigerians in line with President Bola Tinibu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Oyetola assured that he was putting in measures that make Nigeria a major player
Oyetola pointed out that Nigeria bears the singularity of being the only Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries ( OPEC) member with no national line that bears its country’s flag.
He observed that establishment of a national carrier will put paid to the 30 per cent freight charge used to charter vessels.
The minister was however quick to draw out that his call for a national line should not be misrepresented as a call for the re-establishment of the moribund Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL).
He however, called on the agency to explore the buy-in of stakeholders.
Earlier, the Director General of NIMASA, Bashir Jamoh thanked the President for creating a stand-alone ministry for the maritime sector, stating that this has always been clamoured by stakeholders and Nigerians.
He said that with the creation of the Marine and Blue Economy, Nigeria now joins seven other countries in the world that have stand-alone Blue Economy minstry.He assured that with this development, NIMASA is better positioned to maintain and put Nigeria on the global sphere.