By Stephen Ubanna
Rotimi Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers state, may have resigned his ministerial position last May, to pursue his Presidential ambition on the ticket of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, leaving behind so many completed projects and problems in the nation’s maritime and transport sector.
One of such uncompleted projects was the Asian country of China supported multi- billion dollar standard gauge railway Lines across the country and the construction of the $1.95 billion Kano – Mahradi in Niger Republic , standard gauge rail line for which a Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, was said to have been signed by the two countries .
Another major unresolved problem in the industry which the former minister may have left hanging for Muazu Jaji Sambo, an Engineer, and his successor, and Ademola Adewole-Adegoroye the minister of state, to handle was the unfulfilled promises of ensuring ’’the disbursement of the Cabotage Vessels Financing Fund, CVFF, to the Indigenous shipping Companies to procure ocean going vessels to compete with the Foreign shipping Companies which had dominated the nation’s shipping sector over the years’’
Senator Gbemisola Saraki, a former minister of State, ministry of Transportation , now redeployed to ministry of Mines and Steel Development , in the recent ministerial shuffles by President Muhammmadu Buhari, had said last June that the dollar Account of the CVFF, had grown to $350 million , equivalent of N210 billion. The minister , may have failed to give the naira account of the Fund, which Bashir Jamoh, Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA ,had said in July 2021, was N132 billion.
Note that the former Rivers state governor may have been too preoccupied with the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC matters, that he may have given little or no time ‘’ to ensure that the National Assembly give approvals for the disbursement of the CVFF’’.
Many expect Sambo, the incumbent minister of Transportation to take up from where Jamoh, the NIMASA, Director General,, who is currently holding talks with the Godwin Emefiele led Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to make funds available for the indigenous shipping companies who are eligible to access the Funds had stopped to make the disbursement of the multi-million dollar Funds a reality.
The CVFF, was set up by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003, in line with the Coastal And shipping Act. Atahe Fund was derived from the two percent levy of every contract awarded under the Cabotage regime. Senator Saraki, the former minister of state, in the ministry of Transportation had described the’’ non-disbursement of the multi-million dollar CVFF, as a shame of nation’’.
She has her reason. Sambo, a one-time Civil Engineer, with the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, and Lagos Area Manager of Nigerian Inlands Waterways Authority, NIWA, who had described his appointment as minister of Transportation as ‘’home coming with an open mind’’, had sought the support of the ministry and other officials of NIMASA, NPA, NIWA and Nigerian Shippers Council, NSC, to do his best in the ministry between now and May 29, 2023, when the Buhari Administration will elapse that will stand the test of time.
‘’ have come with an open mind to do my best and leave humanity and posterity to judge ‘’, he had said. He may have taken advantage of the change of baton in the ministry, on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, at Abuja, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, 2022, to speak out.
An elated Senator Saraki, the Kwara state born politician, may have gladdened the heart of Sambo, the Kaduna state born minister of Transportation and Adegiroye, the minister of state, when she told them during the brief handover ceremony, that ‘’they have exceptionally hard working Team of dedicated and committed staff in the ministry and the agencies’’ .
She had made the two ministers in the Federal ministry of Transportation to understand that ‘’transportation remains one of the focal point of the Katsina state born Nigerian President over the last seven years’’, stressing that ‘’the ministry goes beyond rail as it has both maritime and road transportation departments’’.
While Amaechi , the senior minister was in-charge of Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, Senator araki, the minister of state in the ministry of Transportation was given the responsibility of overseeing NIMASA, coordinating Deep Blue Project in which the government had procured $195 million maritime security assets through an Israeli security firm, HLSI Systems and Technologies Limited, which had won the contract in 2017 to contain the activities of pirates and sea thieves in Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea.
The security assets that were said to have been delivered by the Israeli firm to NIMASA, to prosecute the anti-piracy war included 17 Interception Boats for coastal patrol,, 16 Armoured vehicles, two special mission vessels, two special mission aircrafts for surveillance of Nigerian Exclusive Economic Zone , EEZ, and four unmanned aerial vehicles.
Perhaps, the biggest challenge that Eng. Sambo, the minister of Transportation and Adegoroye, the minister of state may face in the next 10 months in the ministry of Transportation will be to curb the incessant boat mishaps in Lagos, Sokoto and other parts of riverine communities in Nigeria.
The latest Boat mishap in Lagos, in which 10 passengers out of the 17 were said to have been drowned speaks volume. It is not enough to close down the uncontainerised jetty, which Sarat Braimoh, the Lagos NIWA , Area Manager, had said had been closed down since June 2022, because ‘’it was not certified for container operations. The Jetty was said to have been closed down at the instance of NPA, NIMASA and NIWA , authorities and policemen stationed in the area.
The ministers of Transportation, should work closely with NIWA, NIMASA, and Boat operators Association and other stakeholders may have to stamp their foot down to ensure that ‘ operators keep to Safety rules and regulations, such as night travelling, no overloading’’ and put it as condition for all operators to provide life jackets for passengers.
Investigations of past and recent boat mishaps by NIWA, has identified ‘’human errors and negligence as causes of Boat mishaps, particular, Lagos waters. Alani Gausu, the Oba of Ibeshe who is alarmed by the repeated Boat mishaps in Lagos waterways had reportedly said that most of ‘’the Boat Captain do not have ‘’normal training and orientation in handling boats neither are rules on standards for Boat operations’’.
The Oba noted that some of the Boat Captains are underage and are addicted to drugs as well as use inferior Boats with big engines’’ , leading to accident on the Lagos water ways. The situation may not be different from what is happening in other river communities in others of the country.
Indeed, the euphoria that had greeted the two ministers of Transportation on assumption of duties on Wednesday, July 222,, July 7, 2021, may have sent a signal to the duo of what is expected of them in the next ten months in the nation’s maritime and Transport sectors and industry stakeholders.
There is no gain saying the fact that the Katsina state born Nigerian President may have picked the NIWA Lagos General Manager to replace Amaechi, the former Rivers state who resigned to pursue his Presidential from NIWA, because of the performance of Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, who was the Managing Director of NIWA, until he was appointed the Secretary to the Federal Government of Nigeria which put him in a position where all the ministers report to him, including Amechi, his former boss.
Magdalen Ajani, the ministry Permanent Secretary, in her welcome address, was said to have promised the duo of a ‘’smooth working relationship for the development of the nation’s Transport sector’’. Hassan Umar, Director, Finance and Accounts, who spoke on behalf of the staff was said’’ to have informed the ministers that they no cause to worry because ‘’the staff on ground in the ministry are professionals, worthy of their calling as civil servants as they apply extant rules and regulations in the discharge of their duties’’.
