Stakeholders at the nation’s maritime sector has expressed divergent views over the N500 billion target set for the federal government agencies operating in the Nigerian maritime sector under the Ministry of Transportation by the Federal Government for the year 2016.
The Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi had informed the stakeholders at a forum in Lagos last week of the said target threatening to get approval to sack the leadership of any agency who failed to work towards the achievement of the target even as he disclosed that this year’s target when achieved would culminate to government raising the target in subsequent years.
But reacting to the development, the Managing Director and Chief Executive officer, GoldLink Investment Limited, Sir Tony Anakebe described the target as unrealizable adding that things had not been the same with the maritime sector in the last 9 months.
Anakebe added that the target became more difficult to be achieved with the attendant low cargo throughput witnessed at the nation’s seaport in recent times which had seen the closing down of operations in the country by some shipping companies wondering where the agencies would get the money to meet the target from.
“That target for me is not achievable; you can’t come in and ask the maritime sector at this point in time things are definitely going wrong in the maritime sector for the past 8 or 9 months to produce such amount. You can see a lot shipping companies are closing down their operations in Nigeria and the entire West African countries and this is where the Nigerian Shippers’ Council and other government agencies in the maritime sector raise money for the government.
“When vessels cannot come in, I don’t believe that it is possible for the government to generate half a trillion naira from now till December. It is impossible and I say it again, it is impossible. There is no vessel coming, there are no goods coming again into the Nigerian ports, a lot of things have gone wrong. The exchange rate is not helping matters too. So, to me personally, it is not achievable”.
On his part, the President, Shippers’ Association of Lagos State (SALS), Rev. Dr. Jonathan Nicol described the target as being very liberal when compared to what the maritime agencies generate as institutions.
Nicol however expressed joy over the development as according to him, that was an indication that the federal government was beginning to accept the existence of the sector.
According to him,” We look at that as very liberal. That target is indeed very liberal compared to what the Nigerian Customs Service generates as a body. So, if the Minister gives N500 billion, it is quite on the little side but my joy is that the government is beginning to accept the existence of maritime sector. I think with time because he (Amaechi) said this year is N500 billion, next year it could be higher. Our joy is that now they are beginning to appreciate the potentials within the maritime sector and I am sure the agencies will reach out.
When reminded of concerns that going by the economic hardship in the sector currently, that the amount may be difficult to be achieved, he replied,” Well, by and large, I think there is a problem somewhere and we are talking with the government because the sector itself where they will make this money has virtually fizzled out as a result of their own policies, the government policies.
“So, if they reverse these policies, they will make more than that because at the moment, where they make the money from is no longer existent and that is why shipping companies are leaving this country”.
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