By Stephen Ubanna
On Friday, August 23, 2024, all roads lead, Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, the nation’s Commercial nerve centre, as the League of Maritime Editors, LOME, holds its Annual General Meeting, AGM, and Seminar on the nation’s marine Blue Economy.
The Seminar, according to Tmothy Okrocha –Paul, the President of the Association, is targeted at ‘’x-raying the jorney of the nation’s marine and blue economy under the close watch of Oyetola Adegboyega, who incidentally was a former overnoor of Osun state, over the last one year.
According to the Word Bank, which has Aay Banga, as the president, the Blue economy is the sustainable use of ocean resources for a country’s economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs creation while preserving the health of the ocean ecosystem.
The minister had said that the marine and blue economy, alone recorded N242 billion in the first quarter of 2024. Given the impressive performance of the newly created ministry by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, over the last one year, may have informed why the former Oun state governor, who is now speaking an industry stakeholder had said that a robust process for the ‘’mobilization and validation of the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy would be concluded by December 2024.
The policy which, according to is currently being drafted an insider has evolved key policy thrusts and goals that would the industry towards actualizing the developmental goals of the present Administration. He may have gladdened the heart of industry operators when he hinted that a comprehensive four –year key results framework and implementation plan that would guide the new ministry and its agencies comprising of Nigerian Port Authority, NPA, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Nigerian Shippers Council, NSC and Nigerian Inland Water Ways Authority, NIA, had already been developed. This may have informed why the LOME seminar on the marine and blue economy is very apt.
Industry issues that has to do with the key achievements of the new ministry over the last one year , challenges , roadmap for the development of the industr as it affects the maritime agencies are expected to be discussed by experts drawn from the sectory . Okrocha –Paul, the Association ‘s President, had said that with the progress made so far by the minister in exploring the potentials of the ocean resources to the growth of the national economy , ports Infrastructure renewal , port economic regulation and indeed Customs revenue generation and ant-smuggling operations under a harsh economic environment, would also be discussed by the experts.
Given an insider information, he had said that the Theme of the Seminar is Renewed Hope Agenda: The Place of Nigeria’s Maritime Industry ‘’ had said that the experts will make paper presentations . The Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, is expected to present a position paper titled: challenges of Customs Revenue Gene ration/anti-smuggling operations. Experts who were said to have been shortlisted deliver papers at the LOME Workshop include Ade Dosu, a former Director General, NIMASA, AND Charles Okorefe, Lector, at the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, in Delta state.
The LOME, one-day seminar is expected to be chaired will be chaired by Pius Okutah, Executive Secretary, NCS, The guests of honour the LOME President had said is Hadiza Bala Usman, a former Managing Director,, NPA, and now Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, Comptroller General, NCS, and Abubakar Dantoso, Managing Director, NPA.
Other expected special guests at the LOME event include Hassan Bello, a Layer and former Executive Secretary, NSC, and Mrs. Vicky Hastrup, Chairperson, of Seaports Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria, STOAN.
Francis Ugwuoke, the Association, spokesperson, had said that industry stakeholders who been invited to be part of the discussions on the different issues that would be presented by the experts as it affects the marine and blue economy have indicated their willingness to be at the seminar.
Note that LOME, is made of veteran maritime Journalists who have covered the industry for over three decades and are now publishers, both’’ print and online’’, thus contributing to solving the nation’s unemployment problem.
