We are partnering NIPC for development - NIMASA

Dele Aderibigbe, Lagos

Ade Dosunmu, DG, NIMASA

You seem to be genuinely happy that your organization, the NIMASA is forging a closer relationship with the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council NIPC. Do you have any special reason for this sir?
NIMASA you must realize, apart from being a safety administration; is also responsible for promoting shipping and indigenous participation in the shipping sector.

The synergy to be generated by this event is expected to translate for NIMASA, a one-stop shop concept, capable of assisting Nigeria to attract direct foreign investment into the economy.

In addition, the various trade mission anchored by NIPC has also achieved significant impact in same direction, aside from several measures that the NIPC has assisted to put in place. There is no doubt that the Nigerian economy by this (MoU) event will get a desired boost.

In more concrete terms sir, how would this new relationship positively impact on the Nigerian maritime industry?
It may interest you to know that the maritime sector globally account for about 90 percent of transportation requirement of the world. In the sub-region, Nigeria account for over 60 percent of total sea borne traffic in volume and values; with a GDP representing over 60 percent of the total GDP of the 16 countries that makes up the ECOWAS.

Therefore the success or otherwise of the Nigerian maritime sector has significant impact on the sub regional economy. You will also recall that the sector has in the last couple of years witnessed positive development such as port reforms, enactment of the cabotage. Act, capacity building initiative, increase tonnage, capital market entry; all these have cumulatively deepened the place of maritime sector in the economy.

Yet, it is regrettable that the Nigerian maritime sector in spite of every past effort is yet to achieve up to 30 percent of its potential. The potential of the oil and gas industry for instance is usually a good reference point in the matter. It is common knowledge that the oil and gas is the country’s main resource; accounting for more than 90 percent of our export earning; and about 83 percent of government’s revenue.

In 2008, it is projected that the oil sector will account for about 40 percent of GDP and 90 percent of export; and then 80 percent of government revenue. It is also true that, if all the oil and gas produced by Nigeria are not transported in the area of need, the value creation process is limited. The peculiar nature of the resource confined its carriage through the ocean, and this is where transportation is crucial to the value creation process.

So, to the man on the street…
Yes, what we are saying in essence, is that without the development of the maritime sector, even the Nigerian major resource which is the oil and gas is endangered. It may therefore be argued that without the maritime sector, all the revenues projections for the economy may remain unattainable, with a concomitant effect on social services, production, external reserve and other essential components of nationhood.

What is the public expected to deduce from this sir?
The deduction from all this is that the maritime sector remains a critical infrastructure supporting the nation’s economy. The sector however remains largely un-exploited, from both within and external.

We are convinced that with the relationship that we have forged with the NIPC, we have now finally gotten to the most viable solution to the problem of underdevelopment of the Nigerian maritime sector.

We are also convinced that with the signing of the MoU, we can indeed collaborate in fashioning out appropriate strategies toward entrenching the place of maritime in the economy, as a major revenue earner.

We are therefore confident that the energy will aim at fast tracking the pace of maritime sector development. It will impact positively on Mr. President’s seven-point agenda and the millennium development goals! Let me state categorically here that the maritime sector with particular emphasis on the shipping sub-sector is set to play a physical role in the vision 2020 project of Mr. President. And it is only through this type of collaboration that we can tap the unlocked potential of this industry.

And if we are to achieve the 20-20-20 vision of government we need to grow the Nigerian economy. Presently, the economy is growing at 6.5 per cent annually. And for us to achieve the 20-20-20 vision, the economy needs to grow about 16 per cent annually.

We have a short fall about 10 percent. The maritime sector provides opportunity for the attainment of this short fall; because, it is about the only sector in Nigeria now, that is grossly under-utilized, in terms of capacity.

So, the opportunity that the MOU has provided can only be imagine. One can only hope that we would actually be able to translate whatever edge the MOU grants to us, for the progress and development of our nation and our respective callings

Customs records N5bn from smugglers in Lagos - Taiwo

Dele Aderibigbe, Lagos

THE Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), between January and December last year impounded about 1,745 units of vehicles, with duty paid value of over N918million in the Lagos-Abeokuta axis alone.

Federal Operations Unit, Zone A Controller, Comptroller Rasheed Taiwo, who disclosed this in Lagos also said the vehicles were mere fractions of the extent of smuggling in the zone, as he put the total value of seizures made by the unit in 2007 at N4.94billion.

He explained that the antismuggling arm of the service operating in the zone confiscated goods such as choice textile materials of various types with a duty paid value of N2 .14billion, aside from second hand clothing with duty paid value ofNI3.3million.

The zone also impounded other items which included 22,973 bags of 50kg and 20 bags of 25kg of parboiled rice with a total of about N4million and 679 cartons of poultry product worth N2.44 million; 395 pieces of used fridges and freezers compressors worth N5.73 million, 468 pieces of used tyres worth N1.3 million and other general goods such as echolac boxes, suite cases, furniture, foot wears, shovels, wheelbarrows, plastic plates, school bags, ladies bags as well as various types of soaps and cream valued at over N20 million were also seized by the anti- smuggling unit.

In terms of numbers and value of seizures, Taiwo observed that the Unit surpassed its 2006 records which were 1,531 seizures with duty paid value of N4.35 billion as against 2,302 seizures with duty paid value of N4.94 billion recorded in 2007.

"What formed most part of the seizures are textile garments and material (50 per cent), vehicles (20 per cent), rice (10 per cent), vegetable oil (5 per cent) and other items (15 per cent)", he disclosed.