By Steve Agbota
The acting Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello Koko, recently hosted members of the Nigerian Shipowners Association (NISA) at the NPA corporate headquarters in Lagos, promising to support their aspirations for effective implementation of the Coastal and Inland Shipping Act, 2003 otherwise known as the Cabotage Act.
The NPA chief also said he would support the resuscitation of the moribund annual Nigerian Maritime Exhibition and Conference (NIMAREX). He charged the ship owners to make necessary investments to acquire vessels to take advantage of the Cabotage law.
“You need to take advantage of the Cabotage law. That is really important. That law gives a lot of opportunities and it also limits the participation of foreign companies and nationals in doing business. Now, you have the law that gives the powers of what you should do in terms of funding. That is why I keep saying you need to put forces together; you need to have a strong front.
“Whatever concessions that are being given to ships flying Nigeria flag would remain. But those concessions should be noted that they are given to encourage. And the concession we are giving does not trickle down to the user of your service. That means you are charging as much as others are charging. And if that is the case, what’s the essence of giving you those concessions. You understand, but whatever concession has been given to NPA, we don’t intend to remove it. We review them and see if they still exist. And if they are not, we’ll fix it.
“For the NIMAREX, we will be interested. We will support you in any way we can. You are stakeholders in the maritime industry just as we are. Your success in that is also our priority, which shows that we are also achieving our mandate,” Koko said.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman, Steering Committee of NISA, Prince Sunday Omatseye, said, “We are the Nigerian Shipowners Association (NISA) and we have been in existence for quite some time. In short, NISA comprises Nigerians who own vessels, tugboats, and tankers operating in Nigerian waters. We always sit down with the government to see how we can develop the industry.