Govt Needs To Create Environment For Indigenous Participation In Crude Lifting-  GOG Marine Boss

_{^{By Babajide Okeowo}}

Mr. Bem Garba, the Chief Executive Officer of GOG Marine, a specialized Marine Transport and Maritime Logistics Support Service provider has called on the government to create an enabling environment for more indigenous participation in global shipping.

He made the call on the sideline of the Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN) Breakfast Meeting on the collapsing Quay Apron of the Tincan Island Port Complex

“We need an environment that allows more investors to come into the shipping industry. Because foreign players dominate the market. We have a very significant percentage of our crude oil is been exported by foreign-owned tankers.

We need the government to create an environment where more indigenous owners can come in to play in the industry and arrest the issue of capital flight that we have in the industry.

He also called for stakeholders’ engagement in finding a middle ground in the issue of taxes that threatens to cripple businesses in the sector.

Recently, dozens of international shipping companies threatened to stop trading with Nigeria following back tax claims imposed on them by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) amounting to several millions of dollars.

“Taxes always make it difficult for businesses to be competitive because these taxes increase prices and that also has its ricochet effect or spiral effect on the cost of products at the pump.

So, we need to keep on trying to find a middle ground between what we’re doing with taxation and how it affects Nigerian on the road who has to buy fuel every day from our pumps.

We need to take these issues into serious consideration. So as a ship owner and an operator, we will continue to dialogue with all stakeholders to see how we can find the best possible place to be” he said.