… to x-ray 16-years of port concession regime in Nigeria
The Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) has announced that it will on November 28th 2022 celebrate its 34 years of robust reportage of the maritime industry.
MARAN is an affiliate of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
As the foremost maritime media association which was formed in November 1988, it has remained the umbrella body of all journalists posted to cover or report the activities of the nation’s shipping and allied business.
According to a statement issued in Lagos on Wednesday by the Chairman Planning Committee of MARAN 34th Anniversary and Awards, Mr. Dapo Olawuni, MARAN has lined up activities to celebrate this landmark event.
The activities include the conferment of Awards of Excellence on some notable corporate bodies and individuals who have greatly impacted positively on the growth and development of the maritime industry.
According to Olawuni, the theme for the anniversary is tagged; 16-YEARS OF PORT CONCESSION: THE PAINS AND THE GAINS with critical stakeholders and speakers lined up to x-ray the 16 years of Port Concession era in Nigeria and proffer the way forward for the country.
Among stakeholders expected to grace the occasion are; the Minister of Transportation Engineer Muazu Jaji Sambo, Former Chairman of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Chief Adebayo Sarumi, Chairman of Integrated Oil and Gas, Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho, Chairman of SIFAX Group, Barrister Taiwo Afolabi, Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Muhammed Bello-Koko and the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Doctor Bashir Jamoh.
Others are; former President of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Prince Olayiwola Shittu, Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, Colonel Hameed Ali, Chairman of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Buba Marwa, the Iyalaje Kano, Hajia Bola Muse, Mrs. Jean Chiazor Anishere (SAN) among others.
The Award/Gala night is slated for 28th November 2022 at the prestigious Sheraton hotel, Ikeja Lagos.
According to the statement “it is instructive to note that MARAN Awards come once in a decade as the last edition was held in December 2013.
“The association was deliberate in making the Anniversary and Award ceremony a decade -long one to infuse integrity and nobility into the Awards, a radical departure from others.
“The association plans to draw the attention of the Federal Government on the need to further review the port concession era, and to examine the opportunities posed by the building of new ports, especially the much celebrated Lekki Deep Seaport
There is an urgent need to look at how far we have exploited and harness the potentials of the existing port infrastructures, and to examine the emerging opportunities posed by new ports for the good of the Nigerian economy.”