Nigeria is now 53 years old as a sovereign nation.
And as it has been in the last couple of years, Nigeria, also about the same time joined the rest of the world to mark the 2013 word maritime day.
The two events offer a good opportunity to appraise the state of the nation’s maritime sector, 53 years after independence.
It is natural to think that Nigeria, being a 53 year-old sovereign nation, must also have a maritime sector that is at least of equal age.
Apart from the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Ports Authourity (NPA) which existence predate 1960, virtually all the present-day maritime and allied sector agencies were created; post- independence.
At independence, the then-leaders of Nigeria probably dreamt of a vibrant maritime sector, no wonder concerted efforts were made to put the ‘first generation’ agencies on a sound footing.
The efficiency with which these agencies functioned is a confirmation of the fact that their creation was not a mere formality and that their emergence was drawn from a genuine desire to engender sustainable state-owned enterprises.
But, that is how far the sweet story has gone. What has become of these institutions? While some have been ‘killed’ by subsequent governments, others have been caught in the web of unstable policies or have been plundered by successive government apparatuses.
It is an irony that the two maritime-related agencies, namely: the Nigerian Ports Authourity (NPA) and the Nigeria Customs Service are the only living legacies of a once-vibrant maritime sector. Others that were created in the immediate post-independence era are all dead or have ceased being government-owned, or have been offered as political patronages.
Agencies like the Nigerian National Shipping Line, National Clearing and Forwarding Agency, Nigerdock and the Nigerian Unity Line; all belong to these genre.
A few others, like the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, the then- National Maritime Authourity (now the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency) and the National Inland Waterways Authourity) are lucky to still remain afloat.
Given the potentials of Nigeria and its vast and natural aquatic endowments, and backed with a good national shipping policy and adequate implementation of relevant legislations and domestication of all relevant international conventions, Nigeria should be rubbing shoulders with nations like Malaysia and even Philippines and a host of other nations with which the journey to becoming a strong maritime nation started about the same time.
No doubt, Nigeria has grown as a maritime nation from what she was on October 1, 1960 to what she is today, so also have the challenges grown.
In 1960, our ‘maritime worries’ did not included the mass of unemployed but trained youths who are dotting the nation’s maritime landscape. In 1960, Nigeria did not have to worry about how the nation’s imports were being freighted into the country, neither were our leaders disturbed about other imbalances. Nigeria was simply too happy to be counted among independent nations with her own Customs Service and Port Authourity.
With developments, came the challenges of running these institutions to meet the growing needs of a sovereign nation and the peculiar needs of her people.
Some people have argued that the 1995 decision to liquidate the NNSL was the best; given the failure of its managers and the abuse that the national carrier was subjected to by government officials, and of course, the bureaucracy.
A lot of maritime industry stakeholders are reluctant to agree that the failure of NNSL should be blamed for the mass of unemployment that is plaguing the nation’s maritime sector today. But we ask: where are the national lines of sister nations like: Ghana, Gambia, Cote d’ Ivoire, Cameroun and a host of African nations which, at independence in the 1960s, also floated national lines. They all did it for national pride!
If government had not liquidated the NNSL in 1995, it would have been privatized in the same way that Nigerdock which was doing extremely well was sold under questionable circumstances.
Sadly, had it not been liquidated, it is most unlikely that our NNSL will be able to stand shoulder- to- shoulder with its counterpart in Malaysia; which today, is a pride to that country.
As much as I join others to lament the decay and failure of the maritime sector and its failure to meet the yearnings of Nigerians (especially since the late 1980s), I dare say that it is also a reflection of the failure of the Nigerian nation to meet the aspirations of her teeming youths.
The greatest opportunity for a better maritime sector is provided in the policy of private sector participation; a policy which has so far seen the nation’s seaports transformed and become more efficiently operated.
After appraising the concept of government- private sector collaboration, we want to submit that the solution to Nigeria attaining her rightful position in the comity of maritime nations rests in government intensifying its current efforts at ‘load-shedding; its involvement in the running of the maritime sector.
The involvement should be limited to the level of what NIMASA is currently engaged in and what Nigerian ports have become; after all, the involvement of the private sector in port operations has turned out to be a huge success.
But, by and large, Nigeria’s maritime sector is not a failure; its stunted growth is also a reflection of the slow pace or the near comatose nature of the nation’s economy. The maritime sector can not be more successful than the collectivity called, Nigeria and its economy.
The sector’s hand is still prominently visible in all facets of the nation’s economy; be it, manufacturing, oil and gas, finance, power and so on.
As we match as a nation into our 54th year, a lot more attention should be placed on maritime security, domestication of all pending conventions. For Nigeria to be able to count her blessing as a maritime nation, a holistic review of the Cabotage Act to make it more realistic and indigene-friendly should be carried out. Attention should also be focused on specific areas of manpower development.
Above all, deliberate efforts should be made to ensure that only qualified and competent hands are given the mandate of piloting affairs of the various agencies.
In 53 years, we haven’t done so poorly as nation, but we don’t have a pass mark! We have also lost the glories of the pre-independence years and of course, the immediate post-independence era.
Let’s see what happens in another 365 days!
Happy independence anniversary, Nigeria
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