Investment sustainability in nation’s ports depends on cargo availability — Expert
A shipper, Rev. Jonathan Nicole, on Monday said that the sustainability of the massive investment in the nation’s ports depends on the availability of cargoes.
Nicole made this known in an interview in Lagos.
Nicole, past president of Shippers Association of Lagos State (SALS), said that shippers in Nigeria provide cargoes relentlessly, but they are the most “humiliated and ravaged.”
“We have in the pipeline the following Deep Sea Ports: Ondo, Ilaje; Delta, Burutu and Forcados; Ibom, Aquah Ibom; Badagry in Lagos and Lekki Deep seaport; Onne Deep seaport.
“We also have the river ports in Lagos, Warri, PortHarcourt, Onitsha, Sapele and Koko.
“All these ports were built as Nigeria’s assets for exports and imports of goods and services, which are massive investment. Their sustainability depends on availability of cargoes.
“So, government needs to look into the plights of shippers, to ensure that they continuously provide the cargoes,” he said.
The maritime expert said that there was need for the re-organisation of the Nigeria Customs Service to allow the maritime industry to move forward and contribute to the Gross Domestic Product.
He added that “all the government agencies, serving or retired, in the past regimes should not be allowed to fish in our harmless waters.”
On the Democracy Day speech by President Bola Tinubu, especially on how to repay Nigerians’ sufferings with massive investment in transportation infrastructure, Nicole noted that the country’s survival also depends equally on sacrifices from all.
According to Nicole, Tinubu’s speech brought back the old days of “tighten your belts,” when Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) was introduced.
“Nigerians accepted the appeal and went through the hardship of life through deliberate withdrawal of economic reforms, up till date.
“For the trading platform, it became a free for all display of non-professionals, manning the maritime sector. Hitherto, ruled by technocrats. The maritime industry was grossly damaged with inadequate and deliberate collapsed economic policies.
“All reforms failed. Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) took over and some became reformers, only on how much they can take in. Professionalism went underground.
“Following the statement of Mr President today, he again appealed to Nigerians to continue to tighten their belts more,” he said.
According to him, unfortunately, the creators of the source of the sufferings by Nigerians are among the people, with the commonwealth of Nigerians.
President Tinubu in his Democracy Day speech said that he had painfully asked Nigerians, his compatriots, to sacrifice a little more for the survival of the country.
Tinubu assured Nigerians that their sacrifice would not be in vain for the trust and belief they have in the afministration.
“The government I lead will repay you through massive investment in transportation infrastructure, education, regular power supply, healthcare and other public utilities that will improve the quality of lives,” Tinubu said.
