Chairman of the board of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Chief Akin Ricketts, has urged stakeholders in the maritime sector to form a synergy to fight crime in the Nigerian territorial waters.
Ricketts said this in a statement following the recent meeting with heads of agencies in the maritime industry where insecurity in the waterways and other crucial matters topped discussions.
The NPA boss, who was speaking against the backdrops of concerns over insecurity and other forms of crimes on the waterways raised during the World Maritime Day (WMD) celebration on September 24, noted that the call for synergy among stakeholders was not to fight insecurity but also to reduce the cost of doing business in the sector.
He said: “Globally, we are ranked amongst the first five in terms of insecurity in our navigable waters. Instead of working in silos with everybody protecting their truck, it has become imperative for all our stakeholders to create a synergy so that we can create a wherewithal to fight this monster which is not only giving the country a bad name but increasingly affecting the cost of shipping into Nigeria through the payments for extra security, insurance, and others. At the end of it, all these costs are passed on to the consumers.”
Ricketts said the recent meeting with heads of agencies in the maritime sector was imperative as regulatory agencies can no longer function effectively without coming up with a common strategy with a unity of purpose.
“The meeting came at the right time. Looking at the landscape of the industry it is obvious that the regulatory agencies can no longer function effectively without coming up with a common strategy with a unity of purpose.
“Comparatively, the maritime industry is still growing and there is a whole lot that can be done. There is a need for the development of shared visions and integration of systems to optimize service delivery and develop a seamless process to improve on the existing synergy,” he stated.
On the gains of the World Maritime Day (WMD) celebration which had the theme: Sustainable shipping for a sustainable planet, Ricketts said, “It could not have come at a better time. In effect, it is challenging us all to be conscious of our responsibilities in the environment as we take out if it. As a people, all we do is always take and we hardly give back.
“It tells our businesses to have sustainable developments in their plans. Shipowners and operators in the maritime sector should be conscious of the need to contribute to the development of green energy and that is what sustainable development is all about so that the negative effect of fossil fuel will not affect us that badly. Its adverse effect should be reduced in the short term and eliminated in the long term.”
On how the recently celebrated WMD has helped in shaping Nigeria, Ricketts noted, “If I may say, you cannot talk about the United Nations SDGs without relating it to the efforts of the Federal Government. Recall that the SDGs flowed from the MDGs. It is the only one assesses the successes that we have recorded under the MDGs that we would appreciate the transition to SDGs. As a country, I believe that we have done well and the transition is proving to seamless so far.”
When asked why the earlier announced facility tours were abandoned, the NPA chairman said, “It was hampered by the COVID-19 scourge. However, we will embark on that soon enough as well as our proposed Board Retreat.”
