Chief Chris Asoluka, a maritime lawyer, last Tuesday, urged the National Assembly to review the Coastal and Inland Shipping Act, otherwise known as Cabotage Act.

Asoluka, who presided over a one-day sensitisation forum on Cabotage Act in Lagos, said the National Assembly should remove ambiguities and reinforce the Act where necessary.

“After some nine years, the Act was enacted with much fanfare it would appear that we are yet to reap the anticipated benefits of the Act.

“Secondly, it has become crucial, even for the purpose of legislative oversight that the national assembly should seek to review that piece of legislation, removing as it were noticeable ambiguities, imprecision and areas of conflicts with other sister agencies as well as reinforcing it where necessary.’’

Asoluka wondered why the implementation of the National Shipping Policy, especially the Cabotage Act failed in catalysing shipping development in the country.

The maritime lawyer said that the National Shipping Policy ended up as ‘an abysmal failure’, claiming that the cargo support programme was grossly abused and yielded no impact in terms of improving indigenous participation in the carriage of cargo.

According to him, the National Fleet Expansion Scheme equally failed with the result that the national fleet recorded a decrease and the maritime manpower situation and standard also declined.

He said the situation worsened with the depleting number and quality of seafarers.

“The Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act 2003, was enacted primarily to re-direct national shipping policy thrust or focus from international shipping to coastal or domestic trade.

“So after nine years of enactment and eight years of implementation, one may now ask: why has cabotage regime introduced by the Act failed to empower the Nigerian indigenous shipping?

“Could it be because Nigeria lacks requisite maritime potential and indeed has yet to develop a maritime culture?”

However, in a keynote address, Mr Patrick Akpobolokemi, the Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), said the agency had recorded modest achievements in cabotage.

Akpobolokemi, who was represented by the Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Mr Adeniran Aderogba, said seven years into operation, cabotage regime was actually improving the participation of Nigerians in the nation’s maritime activities.

“This is not to suggest that we are satisfied with the level we are in the implementation of cabotage, we can do better.’’

In a remark, Mr Ibrahim Zailani, NIMASA Executive Director, Cabotage Services and Maritime Labour, said the promotion of public awareness and enforcement strategies of cabotage required the involvement of all stakeholders.

According to Zailani, co-operation, exchange and supply of information and intelligence between key stakeholders is paramount if cabotage is to be a channel for economic advancement and shared prosperity.