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The proposed National Shipping
Line
By Sun News Publishing
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
The planned establishment of a new National Shipping Line, 14
years after the liquidation of the national carrier, the Nigerian
National Shipping Line (NNSL), is laudable. According to the Director-General
of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA),
Mr.Temisan Omatseye, the agency has concluded arrangements with
the private sector to establish a new carrier for the country. Apart
from engaging in Tanker Shipping Liners and Bulk Carriage, the agency
will also commence the development of Ship Demolition and Ship Recycling
Facility.
This development is also part of the plan to transform the nation’s
maritime industry and make it the most lucrative in Africa by the
year 2020. It is expected that the new carrier, which will be driven
by the public private partnership initiative, when operational,
would expand the scope of maritime infrastructure and economic activities
in the industry.
Beside these, the national carrier is expected to promote maritime
business and create more employment opportunities for seafarers
and other unemployed Nigerian youths.
While we applaud the move to establish a new shipping line, we must
state that those behind the project should ascertain why the previous
one failed so that such pitfalls could be avoided in the new one.
It is a pity that the NNSL and the comatose Nigerian Airways share
a similar fate. Such scenario does not speak well of how we manage
our national patrimony.
Whatever is the cause of the collapse of such economic edifices,
there is no doubt that chronic mismanagement, corruption and unconscionable
sleaze would have contributed to their premature demise.
Owning a national air carrier and a shipping line increases a nation’s
rating in the comity of nations. Besides, it enhances economic activities
in both import and export businesses, as well as tourism. We hope
that the beautiful idea will come to fruition and not end on paper
as other lofty ideas in the country. As we have repeatedly underscored
in our earlier editorials, the problem with Nigeria is not lack
of ideas but implementation fatigue. Our failure to translate our
ideas into concrete reality is the major cause of under-development
in virtually all sectors of the economy, including the maritime
sector.
It is, indeed, ironical that the former national carrier, which
commenced business with three vessels, collapsed at a time it had
16 vessels in its fleet. Before its liquidation, the federal government
had 51 percent of the equity while the rest was shared between Elder
Dempster and Palm Lines.
It is a matter of deep regret that a country with vast continental
shelves as Nigeria and endowed with large bodies of water and resources
has no national shipping line. This does not speak well of us and
our nationhood. Without a national carrier, all our shipping businesses
are done by outsiders and private operators. This kind of situation
is not easy to explain because we have the required resources to
man our shipping line with or without foreign assistance.
We urge those behind the initiative to pursue it with the strong
will and determination required to make it a success. But, they
should not allow the factors that led to the death of the former
one afflict the new dream. What they want to do is economically
wise and politically expedient.
It is time government tells Nigerians what happened to the former
NNSL, its assets and liabilities, and those behind its collapse.
Such information is necessary so that those behind the new one would
profit from such information, and avoid repeating the mistakes of
the past.
For the new shipping line to be national in outlook, its equity
participation should be made public and Nigerians encouraged to
own shares in the company. Government participation should be toned
down in keeping with global best economic practices that favour
less government participation in business.
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