The Federal Government has been called upon to adopt a more broad based measures aimed at curbing the incidences of piracy on the Nigerian waters.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 13th Maritime Seminar for Judges which opened at the Sheraton Hotels, Abuja on Tuesday, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Aloma Maryam Muktar stressed that the authorities must go “beyond shooting guns”, for the war against piracy to be won.
Muktar noted that there was so much the country could tap from the Maritime sector, if the endowments therein were fully harnessed.
“There have been incessant reports of pirate attacks on Nigerian waters. Most of the people involved have been discovered to have entered the country illegally. The Nigerian legal system has taken this very seriously as the fight against piracy goes beyond shooting guns,” Mrs. Muktar said.
She pointed out the need also for the Judiciary to brace up more strongly, as the problem of proper implementation of maritime laws was the bane of the maritime industry.
The CJN stressed that the sector was full of potentials that were largely untapped for the benefits of the Nigerian people, adding that the participants must see the seminar in terms of the platform, for the consideration of all relevant angles alongside other emerging issues in the sector.
“There is need to restructure and reform the Nigerian system to solve the problems in the industry,” she said, adding that “the main purpose of the seminar is to sensitize the judges on what is expected of them when adjudicating on maritime matters”, the CJN posited, that the perceived successes noted in the maritime sector would blossom better, as no country can grow adequately, under a weak judicial system.
“The judiciary should be ready to make justice accessible and affordable to all,” she stressed and urged the participants to apply themselves seriously to the discussions of the topics slated for this year’s seminar.
On his part, former Head of state, Dr. Ernest Shonekan who chaired the ceremony observed that the seminar aimed at updating judges in the High Courts, Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court, legal practitioners and other stakeholders on legal developments in the maritime industry.
“The consistency of the seminar over the years, the high quality of the discussions and presentations by eminent jurists who in many cases participated as resource persons and participants at the seminar have not only continued to give local and international acceptance to the seminar, it has also continued to draw more participants from within and outside the country and has given the seminar the much needed international image across the continent,” he said.
Dr. Shonekan hinted that the issues slated for discussion in the three-day seminar which include, maritime law and jurisdiction, piracy, armed robbery at sea and maritime boundaries in Nigeria were very critical to the sustainable development of the country.
The former Head of State stated that this year’s seminar will focus on other maritime related issues such as charter parties, lay time and demurrage, an overview of Section 20 of the Admiralty Jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, liability of terminal operators and marine insurance as related to oil and gas.
According to Shonekan modern shipping and the revolution in the global shipping has “resulted in complexities of trade among countries and among trading partners thereby creating the need for legal interpretation of many provisions of the Admiralty law.
He stressed the need for quick dispensation of justice, which, he said, has become more important today than before because of the dynamics of the maritime environment. He therefore urged the industry operators and stakeholders to update themselves on the new ideas, information and technologies that are emerging and adapt to the changes while allowing the legal aspect to be handled by the judicial system.
