BY Oluseyi Awojulugbe
Nigeria has been unable to take advantage of its natural advantages in the maritime industry despite being a coastal country like Greece, Bem Ibrahim Garba, chief executive officer of GOG Marine Ltd, has said.
In a statement on Thursday, Garba said Nigeria still depends on Greece for logistics requirements despite having similar marine resources.
“These two nation-states have the natural advantage of proximity to the sea, giving their indigenous people (coastal people) the natural advantage of seeking employment, trade and wealth creation from trades associated with the sea, yet these gains only accrue to one state,” he said.
He, however, said that only Greece could boast of a merchant fleet of 5,628 vessels involved in various trades as at 2018, while “Nigeria has a shipping industry in comatose”.
He said Nigeria also has to depend on other seafaring states including the smaller European state to meet her maritime and logistics requirements.
“This is a tale of Nigeria and Greece. Two seafaring nations with active pollution of trained seafarers, and wealthy businessmen capable of all kinds of investment in shipping”, he said.
“Have you ever wondered like I have, why Nigeria has not been able to exploit the natural advantages she has within this industry?
“What is the impact of this inability on the nation’s socio-economic development?”
Garba urged the government and other relevant authorities to encourage indigenous investors in the seafaring and maritime sector.
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