Oyetola says ministry requires $1b to rehabilitate ports, warns on dangers ahead

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

Gboyega Isiaka Oyetola, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, has made a passionate appeal on rehabilitation of the sector, regretted that dilapidated infrastructure across the country would gulp a whooping $1 billion dollars to bring life to it.

The minister however called on private sector operators to work with the government to actualise the huge potentials of the sector for the good of all and to drive 24 hours to 48 hours cargo clearance.

Oyetola made the disclosure at a maritime interactive session held during the 29th Nigerian Economic Summit by Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja on Monday.

The Maritime session with the theme: Sailing to Success: Harnessing Nigeria’s Maritime Potential, was organised to seek solutions to the challenges hampering the growth and desired development of the sector which has been touted to be the mainstay of the economy.

According to him, failure to spend the needed fund on the ports, may result to collapse, stating his intendment to drive the sector through private investors and public/private partnership.

The minister however stated, “One of the things we are trying to do now is the rehabilitation of all the ports and it will cost a billion dollars and if we don’t do that, the ports will collapse

“One of the problems we have is that we lack maintenance culture.”

Speaking on achieving efficiency in the port sector and engendering real time cargo clearance, Oyetola said the ministry would work towards getting the endorsement of the president which will mandate the use of scanners at the ports.

He said that the use of scanners should be imperative in the port even as he wondered how all containers would go through 100 percent physical examination process.

“The use of scanner is imperative and the Customs CG has to buy into what we are saying.

“Attitudinal problems is what we have because even if we have ten scanners and the boys refuse to do the right thing, we are wasting our time.
Insists those manning scanners insists it’s not enough having scanners, but patriotism of operators is key
“We have to get the endorsement of president that scanners must be used at the ports,” he stated.

The minister lauded the initiative of the interactive session calling on stakeholders to seize the opportunity of the interactive session to come up with innovative ideas that can facilitate growth in the sector.

“This wonderful interaction has given me enough insight into some of the problems I already know but we will sit down together and find solutions because it is wrong for anybody to think the minister must know it all.

“I am willing to work with all stakeholders to make the Maritime a better place for all of us. In any case, the expectations of Marine and Blue Economy is so high that we talk of trillion and no longer billions and everybody is looking at us as the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“So, we need to work together to be able to actualise the potentials in the sector. The only thing we have not done is that we have not taken time to harness the potential.

“All the problems that militate against the industry are what we are looking at now so, I want you to know that we are working so hard to put the policy framework together

“Very soon, we will be talking of launching the roadmap and some of these things will be incorporated in the roadmap.

“We are here tonight to discuss on some of the challenges of the Maritime sector and to advise on some of the policies and innovative ideas to make it the best regionally and internationally

“We understand the critical role the Maritime plays in an economy such as ours. It is imperative that we quickly move towards improving the navigability of the waters, build the draughts of our ports and shift to 24 to 48 hours cargo clearance, ensure adequate connectivity from port to hinterland, efficient road network,” he maintained.