Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday advised the Federal Government against resuscitating the defunct Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL).
Obasanjo gave the advice in Lagos in his address as Chairman of a two-day stakeholders’ conference on the maritime industry.
The former president blamed the demise of NNSL on the lack of professionalism and high-level corruption at the time.
He said: “NNSL had been liquidated, they tried Nigeria Unity Line, it collapsed.
“Nineteen brand new ships were specially built for Nigeria, we did not take delivery of some of them until I left office in 1979.
“When I came back in 1999, NNSL had been liquidated with all the 19 ships gone as well as the five ships in existence.
“Two of the ships were missing for almost two years and it was discovered that one military man was using them all over the world and no accountability.”
The former president urged the present administration to “think out of the box and come up with what should be done to grow the maritime industry’’.
“Until NIMASA became a source of where people steal money, nobody knew too much about it.
“Before we tried to privatise Nigerian Ports Authority, I went to Singapore where you get your container within one hour of arriving the port.
“If we cannot perform like Singapore, we have to do better than what we are doing now,” Obasanjo said.
Mr Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation, said the Federal Government was ready to create an enabling environment for steering the maritime industry to its rightfully position.
Amaechi said government would provide safe and secure environment for both foreign and indigenous investors to reap returns on their investment without compromising the nation’s economic benefits.
“The strength of our country lies in over 170 million human capacity, formidable regional market for the numerous agriculture, mining and maritime resources which would attract global patronage.
“We must, therefore, seek to build strong regulatory institutions to stimulate greater private participation and investment.
“The maritime industry has over the years been running without a befitting maritime policy,” Amaechi said.
He stressed the need to reposition the maritime industry as Nigeria did not have a national career since the collapse of NNSL.
In an address of welcome, the Minister of State, Aviation, Mr. Hadi Sirika, said that the forum was holding when there was a need to identify the challenges and opportunities inherent in the maritime industry.
Sirika said that the conference would proffer solutions on challenges affecting the growth of the maritime industry.
