Speaks on Water Hyacinth, CVFF, Floating Dock, Training, Others

There is palpable apprehension amongst maritime stakeholders following pronouncements by the Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo during this year’s celebration of the World Maritime Day event held in Lagos.

Speaking sternly and determinedly, Sambo said President Mohammadu Buhari is a man of principles and transparency therefore nothing less will be tolerated in the Federal Ministry of Transportation, FMOT, under his watch notwithstanding the  constraint of time he is contending with.

The Minister flanked by Maritime CEO at the 2022 World Maritime Day Celebration

Specifically, the Minister said “No agency under the Federal Ministry of Transportation, FMOT, which I oversee should spend a kobo anymore on the removal of water hyacinth. I am talking to The Nigerian National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, they should take note.

“The time we are in require that we cut down on expenses and block all areas of leakages. We have people who will remove water hyacinth for us at no cost, so I don’t want to see any memo on clearing of weeds, be it water hyacinth or any other grass”

“Secondly, the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund, CVFF, is meant to empower our people create jobs and create wealth for citizens. Keeping the fund in the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, does not benefit the economy. I know what the law says on this and who has the power to disburse. I want the Director General of NIMASA to work with me on this so that we can disburse the fund this year”.

“Thirdly, and very important too, is the issue of the floating dock which was not acquired under this government. When the Floating Dock was acquired the plan was to deploy it to the South South but this was not possible because of issues of insecurity”.

“Lagos was later considered on account of the port activities and number of ships calling daily at the ports in Lagos. Unfortunately, for several years now, the Floating Dock has remained idle and we are the ones confronted by the reality of the non-deployment of the asset”.

“Again the Director General of NIMASA should come up with workable solutions to ensure the deployment of the floating dock soonest”.

“In all of this let me say very categorically that no man, no matter how talented and gifted can succeed alone. I succeeded in NIWA because I worked with stakeholders. I am a team player and all of us must work together if you want President Muhammadu Buhari to succeed” Sambo said.

Speaking on the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, MAN, and the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology NITT, the minister said “As a country, we must not lose out in the future race which will require a workforce of new skills and competencies. Our maritime institutions, particularly the Maritime Academy of Nigeria and the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology, NITT, must therefore begin to re-calibrate the curricula to address these requirements of the future”.

“Furthermore, a green future equally implies the commitment by the private sector, to invest in more modern platforms and assets which will meet the emission levels of the future. It is against this backdrop that I had earlier stated my commitment to the actualization of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund, CVFF, which I am convinced will offer a veritable platform for the acquisition of newer vessels by our indigenous operators.

This year’s World Maritime is themed “New Technologies For Greener Shipping”

“A greener and sustainable maritime industry is achievable if we work together in partnerships and with a determination to achieve synergy in the formulation and implementation of our roadmap for the maritime sector in Nigeria and globally. With the array of industry players that have assembled here today, I have no doubt that this edition will produce achievable outcomes for a seamless transition of the maritime sector into a sustainable future, as envisaged by the IMO” Sambo said.