Float National Shipping Line, FG Urged

A maritime consult
ant, Chief Godknows Iniabipi, has advocated for the re-introduction of a national carrier in the maritime sector.
Iniabipi,  who made the call in an interview with The Tide correspondent in Port Harcourt said the floating of a new national shipping line would definitely boost the economy by generating foreign income and also create employment opportunities for the teeming unemployed Nigerians.
The consultant noted despite the fact that the defunct Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) was allegedly crippled by some top government functionaries years back, such mistakes could be avoided if proper machineries were put in place and the right calibre of people appointed to man key positions.
According to him, in Nigeria, there are capable persons that could handle the positions if they were not politicized, pointing out that the former NNSL was moribund due to some faulty government policies and people without sound business ideas on maritime shipping lines.
He called for public private partnership for proper focus and vision, stressing that such arrangement will develop the country once more into an export –based economy.
The stakeholder said, “with efforts to diversify the nation’s resources from petroleum to other ventures, Nigeria can export cargoes to other countries through the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) as the national carrier.
He reiterated that the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari should re-visit the resuscitation of all moribund companies inorder to create jobs for the teeming jobless Nigerians, get foreign exchange, have a say in the international maritime sector, boost international trade and commerce as well as flag the country’s flag in the global shipping circle among others.

Collins Barasimeye