The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Dr. Pius Akutah, has said that the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, is committed to rebranding marine and blue economy sector for greater national economic development.
Akutah said the Minister’s top reform priority is to ensure that the sector’s development trajectory impacts positively on the national economy.
Speaking to members of the League of Maritime Editors (LOME) who paid him a courtesy visit in his Apapa, Lagos office, the NSC CEO, said that already the efforts of the Minister are beginning to bear fruits with the attraction of foreign direct investments (FDI) into the country.
He pointed out that the move by the Minister is in line with the federal government policy of deepening developments in all economic sectors and attracting foreign investments for the country.
“You can see that the operators in the sector are beginning to put in more investments”, he said, citing one of the terminal operators, APMT Terminal, which recently announced its investment plans in the country.
“ He (Minister) has personally taken the journey for himself – to look for foreign investors into the country. And you can see that the operators in the sector are beginning to put in more investments. We can see what the APMT is doing in terms of the investment profiling they are bringing up. The MD has already announced $100m investment portfolio that is coming. And so many other areas of port reform”, Akutah said.
He further spoke on the Minister’s reforms, adding, “We want these reforms to take root and begin to manifest so that we will be beneficiaries of what is happening”.
Expressing regret that Nigeria did not fully participate in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) during the signing of the agreement, the effect of the delay, Akutah said “the only thing left for us is to work hard”.
He said that what Nigeria should be targeting at should be the maritime hub for at least the West and Central African sub-region, stating that this should be followed by attaining the hub for the whole of Africa.
“The only thing left for us is to work hard and ensure that we give ourselves a maritime hub for at least the West and Central Africa, and eventually if we can be able to muscle the hub for the whole of Africa. The African Continental Free Trade Area has come to stay. Our economy is no longer closed, it is open to over a billion people in Africa”, Akutah said.
The NSC CEO had during the visit described the role of the media as pivotal in driving reforms in the Marine and Blue Economy, as well as in the actualization of the Federal Government’s Foreign Direct Investment drive.
He said the media play a crucial role in shaping public perception, promoting transparency, and ensuring that government policies in the maritime industry are well understood by stakeholders and the general public.
He said, “ We have to partner with the media, Proactive media necessary for projecting the efforts of the government . Our doors are open to the media. When you don’t reach us sometimes, it is just duty call. For us to pull investments into the country, we need the media.
“We love the media because our activities will go out there for people to know what we are doing, and we cannot do that by ourselves. When we are not around, it is because sometimes our bosses are in Abuja and when they call on us, we must go and answer”.
The NSC boss commended LOME for its professionalism and consistency in maritime reportage over the years.
He assured the League of the Council’s continued collaboration and support, and the sustenance of the existing partnership.
He further assured LOME of the Council’s readiness to maintain an open-door policy with the media.
Akutah added that under his leadership, the NSC remains committed to implementing the Federal Government’s policies aimed at making Nigeria’s ports more efficient, competitive, and user-friendly.
Earlier in her remarks, the President of the League of Maritime Editors, Mrs. Remi Itie, said the visit was to seek the Executive Secretary’s support and attendance at LOME’s forthcoming Annual General Meeting, AGM, and to strengthen the existing partnership between the Council and the media.
Mrs. Itie pledged that members of the League would continue to discharge their duties objectively and support government’s efforts to reposition the maritime sector for national economic growth.
