Why We Need To Reposition Nigeria’s Maritime Industry

The spoils system whereby the political party in power doles out top government jobs only to friends and relatives has not only sullied, but also significantly stunted the growth of the Nigerian maritime industry.

Politicians with consciences seared by unbridled entitlement mentality jostle to appropriate the CEO and other top positions of government agencies they perceive to be cash cows – a grab mentality not borne out of the desire to contribute to the attainment of the mandates of the agencies but for shameless self-aggrandisement and contract procurement purposes.

When people complain about the poor development of the maritime industry, they fail to see the nexus between the underdevelopment of the industry and underachieving CEOs.

The underachieving chief executives have failed the industry. Of a truth, credit for the reduction and eventual elimination of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea goes to the Nigerian Navy and the Danish Navy, which deployed a frigate to the region. Since 2021, the Danish Navy frigate, with about 195 personnel, a Seahawk helicopter and maritime task force unit have sustained presence in the Gulf of Guinea and made many arrests. In November last year, one of the arrested pirates – a Nigerian – was prosecuted and convicted not in Nigeria but by a Copenhagen court, which found him guilty of criminal activities in the Gulf of Guinea.

Underperforming CEOs, misplaced priorities and poor understanding of the issues at stake have all combined to rob our shipowners of vessels, seafarers of jobs, cadets of sea-time experience and the industry of desired progress. The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) have not fared any better. The non-renewal of expired port concession agreements robs the ports of fresh capital injection by private operators. How do investors source funds for the acquisition of critical cargo handling equipment and infrastructural development of the port without contracts?

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NIWA was established to improve and develop inland waterways for navigation as well as provide alternative mode of transportation for the evacuation of economic goods and persons. The poor use of the waterways and the preponderance of boat accidents across the country say everything that needs to be said about the agency’s performance. Between March and October 2022 alone, no fewer than 212 Nigerians lost their lives in boat accidents in various parts of the country while the agency watched helplessly.

So where do we go from here? It is apt to appeal to the President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to treat maritime issues different from his predecessors’ handling of the industry. The industry is in a downward spiral and new managers with progressive mindsets are urgently needed to take over.

The President-Elect may consider convening a brainstorming session with select stakeholders in the industry. Participants should be genuine private sector stakeholders and a few senior government officials none of whom should include any of the past or present political appointees. The brainstorming session should conclude with a clearly defined roadmap and KPIs for agency heads to take the industry out of the doldrums over the next four years.

Appointments of CEOs and senior executives of NIMASA, NPA, NSC, NIWA, CRFFN, MAN Oron and NITT Zaria should be competitive. The positions should be advertised with clearly defined qualifications and work experience. Shortlisted candidates should be rigorously interviewed and only the best with the right mindset should be appointed into these key positions. Monitoring and evaluation systems must also be set up with the aim of improving outputs and impacts.

As Nigeria takes a new turn on May 29, a fundamental change in approach must happen to reposition and redefine the maritime industry. The Tinubu administration should understand that the greatness of our nation is inextricably tied to the sea, with its commercial use in peace time and its control in war time, for, in the words of Sir Walter Raleigh, “whosoever commands the sea commands the trade; whosoever commands the trade of the world commands the riches of the world, and consequently the world itself”.

– Dr. Bolaji Akinola is the CEO, Ships & Ports.