ALSN calls for urgent digitalisation of maritime sector

Admiralty Lawyer Society of Nigeria (ALSN) has called for urgent action to digitalise all maritime platforms and systems. The group said the operations, programmes, and activities of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria’s Shippers Council (NSC), and the Nigeria Inland Waterways Agency (NIWA), should be optimally digitalized for efficiency.

According to the organisation, a more digital maritime sector would lead to more prudent management of resources, save transaction time, and therefore man-hours, as well as the conservation of energy.

ALSN President, Angus Obinna Chukwuka, while applauding the #EndBadGovernance protest, said the protests should have been tailored towards an overhaul in the maritime sector, and a much-deepened heightened investment in that sector.

“Invariably, there is a need for Nigeria to prioritise its investments. In so doing, prospective and projected investments for the oil and gas sector should be re-channelled to the Maritime sector for greater efficiency and productivity. This investment redirection will create jobs for the teeming youth population, with a corresponding decrease in crime rates across the country,” he said.

Chukwuka noted that countries like Singapore, Belgium, and the United Kingdom, with less maritime endowments than Nigeria, have better job creation and national income index than Nigeria, due to a more creative and enduring maritime investment. He lamented that Nigeria continues to lie economically comatose due to underinvestment in the maritime and relative over-investments in oil and gas.

“Nigeria’s oil that has become the subject of political frivolities is now a curse to the masses and progenitor of endless economic crises. “The solution to hunger and poor employment in Nigeria, no doubt, lies in Nigeria retracing its steps, and revamping of our maritime industry through significant and heavy investments, more than any other sector.

“The call for the revamp of the eastern ports started a long time ago, with no strong political will shown by the government to solve the problem. But a revamped eastern port is sure to guarantee Nigeria at least 12 million good jobs for the youths with perhaps 100 million U.S. dollars earned yearly. Businesses around the ports will experience a steady boom and violent crimes in the South-East and South-South axis will diminish greatly,” Chukwuka stated.