The Minister of Transportation, Engineer Muazu Jaji Sambo, has expressed total dissatisfaction and displeasure on the Nigerian Maritime Administrative and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) as regards single window.
The minister declared his displeasure at a press conference which took place at the end of the World Maritime Day celebration at Eko hotel, Lagos, Thursday, lamenting especially on the current level of operations of single window by the two maritime apex agencies in which huge some of taxpayers’ money was used to set it up.
He said: “I am begging to develop cold feet on the port community system. Port community system is very important. I wish we had a single platform.
“I have accessed the level of automation by the Nigerian Maritime Administrative and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and we have agreed on what to do, I am going to exercise my veto power if need be.”
Responding to questions from maritime journalists on the current update on the Cabotage Vessels Financing Fund (CVFF), Sambo said the federal government was so passionate about how the money would be spent, having taken a clue from the previous mismanagement of the funds by some ship owners.
He debunked allegations that the funds would be diverted, saying that it would not be diverted to any area except for the acquisition of Nigerian Sea going Vessels.
On the issue of Kaduna rail kidnapped victims, Sambo said that the federal government is also very passionate about securing the release of the victims.
“The life of one Nigerian is more important than the rail service that we are providing,” he said, adding that the government is putting all hands on deck to ensure the release of the kidnapped victims.
“We must not lose out in the future race which will require a workforce of new skills and competencies.
“Our maritime institutions, particularly the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, and the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT) must therefore begin to re-calibrate the curricula to begin to address these requirements of the future” which includes training and retraining of government agencies staff.
Meanwhile, the Director General of NIMASA, Doctor Bashir Jamoh, while speaking at the event said that in a bid to sustain and improve shipping activities and in line with the theme of the day, the government is working towards achieving zero emissions.