Nigeria, South Africa lose IMO election

By : Adaku Onyenucheya

Date: 11 December 2021 3:46am WAT

FILE PHOTO: The Mercer Street, a Japanese-owned Liberian-flagged tanker managed by Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime that was attacked off Oman coast as seen in Cape Town, South Africa, December 31, 2015 in this picture obtained from ship tracker website, MarineTraffic.com. Picture taken December 31, 2015. Johan Victor/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES./File Photo

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Nigeria has once again lost the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Category C Council election for the 2022-2023 biennium for the sixth consecutive time.

This has made West Africa lose its only seat in the council, as other African countries, Kenya (Eastern Africa), Egypt and Morocco (both Northern Africa) retained their seats in the 20-member Category ‘C’ council of the IMO election that held, yesterday, in London.

Nigeria along with 26 countries contested in the election for the seat in the council.

Nigeria and South Africa failed to clinch the seat after the United Kingdom put them on Omicron travel red list as delegates of both countries could not enter London for last-minute campaigns for the election.

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Transport, Gbemisola Saraki who was expected to meet with ministers from the 175 IMO member countries to canvass for support for Nigeria at the election could not travel due to the restriction.