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LAGOS – The event that broughtcritical stakeholders on a roundtable to discuss on the topic with theme, ‘The Human Capital Component, Assets And Infrastructure For The Blue Economy,’ convened by Kelvin Kagbare, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Maritime Nigeria, took place in Lagos on Thursday, October 17, 2024.
The event tagged: ‘National Discourse 2024 with Distinguished Maritime Personalities (DMPs)’, brought together criticalstakeholders in the sector, among whom were Engr. Greg Ogbeifun, Managing Director, Starzs Marine & Engineering Limited, Mr. Tony Nwabunike, immediate past President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Barr. Temisan Omatseye, former Director General, Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and Otunba Sola Adewumu, CEO, Equitorial Energy Company Limited.
Others were Henry Konyeaso, Executive Assistant to the Chairman, Integrated Oil and Gas Limited who stood in for the Chairman of the occasion, Capt. Emmanuel Iheanacho, former Minister of Interior and Chairman, Integrated Oil and Gas, Iroghama Ogbeifun, Managing Director, Starzs Investment Company Limited; Director General, NIMASA, Dayo Mobereola; Barrister Emeka Akabuogu, Capt. Iheanacho Ebubeogu, former General Manager, Corporate Communications and former General Manager, Operations, Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), who was the guest speaker.
Iheancho, in his welcome address, said the seminar would help in shaping the future of the country’s Marine and BlueEconomy.
According to him, the Marine and BlueEconomy was a precious stone waiting to be harnessed for the economic benefit of the country.
He said that to fully realise the potential, priority must be placed on human capital and infrastructure development, adding that this seminar was a critical step in that direction.
A represented of Dayo Mobereola, DG NIMASA, said that as an agency under the Ministry of Marine and BlueEconomy, it had since keyed into agenda of the Federal Government to ensure that the numerous opportunities in the blueeconomy were fully harnessed so as to depend less in the oil economy.
On human capital development, he said NIMASA had continued sensitisation of the stakeholders in and around the coastal communities for deeper insight on the need to preserve the oceans.
“We are creating enabling environment to boost investment,” he said.
He called the media to be objective in reporting the activities of the maritimesector, adding that the country was the only country we have.
Engr. Ogbeifun in a goodwill message called for the need to do things diligently and always get it right.
He explained that the human component was a major problem in harnessing the opportunities in the sector, adding that, “today, we are agitating for or engaging governments, coming together to reestablish a global shipping line for the country. The important thing is not the ship, but the seafarers.”
He further emphasised that the seafarers were of the aging generation and lauded the organisers for its consistency.
Otunba Adewumi, President of Nigeria Ship Owners Association (NISA), in a goodwill message said implementation of government’s policies had largely been on papers.
Adewumi stated that his association had always acquainted itself with industry standards and called for a good foundation for this new ministry.
Ebubeogu harped on the need of getting the human element correct.
He warned that if not done, every step taken towards factors of production would be nullified.
He observed that certain chief executives could not leave their jobs for training, adding that the only answer was to invest in journals and acquire necessary skills.
In her remarks, Iroghama Ogbeifun, called for the need of the government and private sectors to play their roles rightly for the benefit of all.
She emphasised the government’s duty was to formulate and drive policies, while also creating the enabling environment for the private sector to thrive.
“Today, we are talking about human capacity development. We cannot have industries without people. How quality people are will depend whether the industry will survive,” she added.
She insisted that there was the need for continuous training and retraining, adding that there should also be a space to accommodate the trained workforce.
Iroghama Ogbeifun, the Managing Director, Starzs Investments Company Limited, asserted that in recruiting human beings, there was need for training and development.
She said that for the blueeconomy to thrive, there must be infrastructure in place.
Nwabunike, the immediate past President, Association of ANLCA, in his paper ‘Automation of Port Processes As An Essential Factor For a Sustainable BlueEconomy,” noted that the automation of port processes and procedures in Nigeria predated the creation of the Federal Ministry of Marine and BlueEconomy.
Represented by Roland Ekama, Nwabunike, said that over 30,000 direct jobs remained untapped in the marine and blueeconomy sector.
Nwabunike, noted that the automation of port processes and procedures in Nigeria predated the creation of the Federal Ministry of Marine and BlueEconomy, which he said was a brainchild of the President Bola Tinubu administration.
He reminded participants that the blue economywas about harnessing the benefits of the marine sector without compromising the environment—not about frittering away our gains through bogus and nebulous contracts.
Nwabunike noted that political will, technology, and commitment were needed to unlock these opportunities.
He also noted that the role of technology in harnessing the abundant benefits in our industry could not be overstated, adding that this was where automation became critical.
He said: “Although not much has been heard about the National Single Window (NSW) project initiated by the Bola Tinubu administration, it is intended to serve as a clearinghouse for all government business processes related to automation, revenue, security, and trade accountability.
“This presentation would be incomplete without reflecting on Nigeria’s journey toward modernisation. As a customs broker and only freight forwarder member of the then Presidential Taskforce on ASYCUDA, I recall that the Nigeria Customs Service began with the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) in the early 1990s under the auspices of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
“The system later evolved with the introduction of the Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System (NICIS), which was subsequently upgraded to NICIS II. Through NICIS II, the Nigeria Customs Service achieved multi-trillion-naira revenue collection and emerged as one of the most modernized customs administrations in West and Central Africa.”
Nwabunike, who was also the pioneer Chairman, Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), emphasised that he recently came across information about the “B’Odogwu” modernisation programme, which aimed to replace NICIS II with a $3 billion, 20-year modernization phase.
He asserted that with the existing systems in place, he questioned the need to plunge a resource-limited country into further debt under the guise of modernisation.
He expressed that if converted, $3 billion modernisation cost over 20 years into naira at the current volatile exchange rate, the implications became even more worrisome.
Also, Nwabunike said that the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), as the landlord of the port area, had set a goal to achieve full port automation by the end of 2025, in line with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) deadline.
However, he pointed out that he had not heard any public statement from the new Managing Director on this matter.
“You will agree that every step counts, especially since neighboring countries are our rivals in international trade. We cannot afford to lag behind.
“Nigeria still has significant work to do in streamlining its port operations to attract more business. Many Nigerian importers and shippers prefer using ports in Ghana, Togo, and Benin Republic due to faster, more efficient processes.
“It is important for Nigeria to conduct a peer review of these neighboring countries to understand why, for example, Benin Republic operates an automated port system with almost no complaints, while Nigeria continues to struggle with delays, extortion, multiple agency checks, unnecessary alerts, and other bottlenecks,” he said.
He therefore, called for expert-driven port system, stressing the Federal government should allow the port system to be driven by experts,
He added that a sustainable blueeconomy required robust public-private sector collaboration.
He also harped on technology procurement without patronage, maintaining that technology procurement should not be used for political patronage or as a means to reward loyalists.
Also, Nwabunike called for integration of automation into the National Single Window (NSW), noting that port automation and technology must be integrated into the system with the involvement of key industry stakeholders, maintaining that training programmes for port users at various stages were essential.
Use of Non-Intrusive Technology: Scanners, drones, CCTV surveillance, and other non-intrusive technologies should be deployed without resorting to expensive and exploitative contracts, he added.
He emphasised that Nigeria was the giant of Africa in many respects, noting that blue economywas a crucial area for economic diversification.
The convener, Mr. Kelvin Kagbare, in a welcome address said that the theme was chosen after deliberate consideration of what the Ministry of Marine and BlueEconomy, with Adegboyega Oyetola as Minister had done so far.
“In the area of human capital development, maritime Nigeria thinks we are still where we were prior to the creation of the Ministry by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in May 2023.
“We were told that theBlue Economy has the capacity to generate over $1.5 trillion per year, provide over 30 million jobs and serve as a vital source of protein supply to millions of persons.
“As we converge to deliberate, we hope to hear from our DMPs here seated what progress has been made. From all we have seen and heard, there has been plenty of movement and talk without the commensurate action,” he said.
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