Lawmakers Bemoan Maritime Sector’s 1% Contribution To GDP

The House of Representatives Committee on Shipping Services has lamented the paltry 1% contribution of the maritime industry to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Speaking at the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) special retreat titled, ‘Strengthening Economic Regulation of Marine and Blue Economy for Sustainable Development,’ in Lagos on Thursday, the chairman, House Committee on Shipping Services, Hon. Abdulsamad Dasuki, said the maritime sector was expected to contribute 20 per cent to the nation’s GDP.

He said, “the Maritime sector is expected to deliver 20 per cent of our GDP but presently, it is doing one per cent or less.”

The legislative committee, however, stated that the NSC Act was undergoing an amendment to give it the legal power as the Port economic regulator.

“We are going to fast-track that law and make sure that you have legal backing to do what is expected of you. We shall have this law by next year, 2024.

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“There are certain things expected from the Nigerian Shippers Council, one of them is the ICTN. At Parliament, we would take it up, and whatever that is required will be done within the shortest possible time.

“One of our take-home here today is that, we should have a Nigerian Shipping Commission and not a Council. This is what will strengthen the agency, you are supposed to be a Commission, you are the regulator of this all-important sector.

“Having said that, there are some quick wins that are expected of this Council. One of them is the ICTN. These are things that, as a Parliament, we will take it up and make sure that whatever is required to implement that is done within the shortest possible time,” Dasuki assured.

Speaking earlier, the executive secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council, Akutah Pius Ukeyima, emphasised that the two-day Special Management Retreat played a crucial role in steering the Council towards achieving its objectives and contributing significantly to the advancement of sustainable development within the maritime sector.

Ukeyima underscored the need for aligning the Council’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) with that of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, which according to him, was a foundational step in evaluating the Council’s performance vis-à-vis the Ministry’s expectations.

“You will recall that the President held a similar retreat with his ministers where at the end of the day, they signed a performance bond in order to implement his mandate.

“That same retreat was held by the Ministry, a couple of weeks ago, this was to cascade the performance bond that was signed by the Minister down to the Chief Executives of the agencies, including the Nigerian Shippers Council.

“We have signed that performance bond with the Minister, and now, we are cascading it down to the staff of the Shippers Council, beginning with the directors, down to the last person, we want to drive the mandate of Mr President and everyone must be onboard, including the drivers and lower cadre staff,” Ukeyima stated.