We continue today, our 100 minutes chat with GREG.
You keep saying the Government has a role to play. Can you shed more light on this.
The Government has a lot of role to play. Take agencies like the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) , who are dealing more with commercial shipping for instance They can help by bringing to together the major team players.
They know this is how and from where the cargo comes; and also know how all of them can be engaged and put to work together.
They know how we can then bring in the Maersks of this world. We can then engage every body in a discussion. It has to be a joint venture discussion, not structured.
Government has a role to play. You know about my appointment into the Commonwealth maritime. And because of my appointment, I have a lot of information about the UK shipping.
There is nothing that the UK maritime is doing which is not about positioning its private stakeholders strategically to key in and drive it’s shipping.
Their government is always there to support them to drive it. So, we need to engage our Government. And that’s why we cannot afford to antagonize Rotimi Amaechi in whatever he is doing.
I would rather support him. Let him make his mistakes, I would rather appreciate the fact that he is a politician, with immerse power, but limited knowledge; and may therefore need to rely on you and I to move the industry forward. Its not for us to antagonize him.
You see, once somebody starts to antagonize you, you are likely to draw a battle line; and it doesn’t matter whatever the person is saying thereafter, you are not hearing!
And that is why this may not be the best time to start talking of who or what is the best appointment to make now. Government is Government. And you are not likely to help them change their minds, because while you are saying ‘No’, somebody out there is telling them ‘Yes’; even if the person is only wrongly misinforming them!
In fact, that is what happens often. You find the wrong people advising them; more so, because the right people are fighting them. So, why don’t we encourage them to come on board, and tell them the right things.
The minister you will recall has indicated his intentions and plans of floating a national carrier, he has set up a Committee at the Ministry and somehow, they have come to find out that they cannot do it, without the involvement of the stakeholders.
This has subsequently culminated in the formation of the ship owners forum. The ship owners forum that some NISA people have not recognized, the Government has recognized and invited by saying: ‘come and talk to us. We want to float a national carrier, okay give us idea; what do you think we should do?’
So, you can see now that those antagonizing the Government has already disenfranchise themselves.
Also, you must recognize the fact that I also belong to the Association of Marine Engineers and surveyors (AMES). The same Government committee has also invited AMES. ‘You are marine engineers, come out and talk to us!’
We must appreciate the fact that the people in the ministry are not ship owners. I expect them to also reach out to the master mariners association. They cannot float the ships without manning them with captains!
Most of us are deep in this international trade, so we should avail the Government of the needed guidance based on our experience.
And by the time we have talk to them, they could go and cross check their facts; and come out with a positive policy.
Government expects to gain from the various stakeholders’ experiences. Beginning with your own, what do we expect the Government to gain from your wealth of experience as an industry expert.
I intend to leverage on my appointment with the Commonwealth to, as much as I can bring home functional ideas upon which Nigeria could work on.
For example, this country does not have the money to build ships. So may be, we are looking for investors; if you depend on investors’ funding; then they would come, but they would also take control- and then, we are back to square one!
So, we have to deliberate on the more realistic options. For example, those of us who are operating up stream, we know that if you have a five year contract; you don’t have to own ships. You can just simply go out there; and bare-boat chatter a ship, to meet with the cabotage requirements.
You can bareboat chatter it, and all you do is pay your crew.
I know internationally that there are a lot of shipping companies that are redundant and that had excess capacity that have no cargo because of either stiff competition or economic slide in their own clime, why can’t we go to them!
‘Old boy, how about we partnering. You have ships; and I have cargo; let’s come into a partnership. But, this is what my country’s regulation stipulates: we have to flag it, and crew it. The regulations says I have to bareboat (chatter) your vessel; and bring it in’.
So, all I will be asking is that Government guarantee the cargo.
As I am sitting down here, I have at least, six letters, on my table in Port Harcourt, from companies out there, who have cargo to move from Abidjan to Lagos; from Cameroon Douala to here; etc and they are finding it extremely difficult, to move them. The cargo is in each country. But, would the Government be willing to stimulate the economy in this direction.
Would the Government be willing to stimulate agricultural and their other local resources that are produced here?
Most of these things we produce here need to be exported. The people who are producing them, even if they know that these things can be exported, where are they going to get the ships? If they go abroad to look for ships, would they not give them very impossible conditions?
So, it is important for us, to say, let’s create good condition that can create the ships for them, to be able to export most of what they are producing.
So personally, I see the shipping industry, looking at gold mines; but which cannot be tapped into, until we articulate, get ourselves together and go and take advantage of these opportunities. It is for the benefit of ourselves and the citizens.
Some of us who are used to running ships know that, you can run any ship because a ship is a ship whether its in oil and gas, or not.
And if we are able to do this, then those who are experienced in the agencies as well as in cargo would have jobs. Those in the marine spheres, especially the insurance would have jobs, rather than putting all our eggs in the oil and gas basket.
I am not saying we should abandon the oil and gas; though. I can go on and on.
To what extent would the maritime banks be relevant in a situation or scheme of this nature?
I don’t think any maritime bank would do better than the CVFF- whenever it starts. If the instrument for the establishment of the bank and the implementation of the requirements of that bank, are thrown open.
Look, whether the money is in your house or is in your bank, that money can be used, to achieve so much.
Let’s not try to reinvent the wheel When we begin to re-invent the wheel again, we may say, now we have cabotage; let’s call it maritime bank. And somebody may say, why not call it the bank of industry?
—To be Continued