The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has aligned with the position of the Nigerian Association of Master Mariner (NAMM) in calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint a Senior Special Assistant on Maritime Affaira.
Speaking in an interview with Primetime Reporters in Lagos recently, the National Vice President of ANLCA, Dr. Kayode Farinto said that the appointment is important now so that issues can be tackled immediately as the come from the industry.
“We have a Minister of Transport who has too many Departments and agencies under him; he may not even know what is happening. NIWA is under him, NIMASA is under him, Shippers’ Council under him, too many engagements, this is one of the largest Ministries. Mr. President needs somebody who is an SSA, who should be a technocrat, who knows what is happening in the industry. Don’t go and bring somebody who read railway in 1974 and appoint him SSA, he will not be functional because there are too many things that needed to be addressed”, he said.
Speaking on demand for a Minister for the maritime sector as being clamoured for in some quarters, Farinto who is also the Managing Director of Wealthy Honey Investments Limited observed,” If you are demanding for a Minister for maritime sector, you are likely to have conflict with the Ministry of Transport but when you have SSA Maritime to Mr. President, he deals with Mr. President, he sees Mr. President minimum of three times in a week. He relates with Mr. President on emergency issue and Mr. President, as he is being advised, let him also be issuing Executive Orders.
“For instance, he can issue Executive Order on any shipping company that will come to Nigeria, if you collect container deposit from our citizens, ensure that it is paid under 72 hours, if it not paid, it becomes a criminal offence and you will see that people will sit up. That is why I am demanding for SSA Maritime. If you are demanding for a Ministry for maritime, there is going to be a clash of interest with that of our Ministry of Transport. If you look at the issue of the Nigerian Transport Commission Bill now, it is dying now; Mr. President has not appended his signature because of interest. Ministry A said, it is in conflict with Ministry B, and so on and you have a situation where a very good idea will be killed because of individual interest”.
He recalled that the office of the SSA Maritime really helped during the Jonathan’s government because the operators had access to him as he was on ground and was following up.
“We took him round and showed him what is happening and he will relay same to the President. He is always on ground and he really helped Jonathan’s government. He made us remove a number of security agencies from the port, he brought the Minister (of Finance) to the Port and there was sanity. Don’t forget that there was a committee set up that time to develop a roadmap for maritime sector.
“Look at the issue of foreigners taking our jobs, we now have a situation where Tramadol is now becoming rampant in our country. How are they achieving it? The importer is the agent, they have warehouse, and they are the ones selling it. So, the complete logistics chain is being taken over by them and that is why it is becoming dangerous. Look at the level at which our children are consuming this thing; the unemployed youths now take to drug. So, government must sit up. The moment we have SSA Maritime, we are likely to achieve everything less than one year”, he added.
It will be recalled that NAMM had earlier last month called on President Muhammadu Buhari to consider re-establishing the office of the SSA to the President on Maritime Affairs which he scrapped on assumption of office to aid in giving the needed attention to the money spinning industry.
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