Secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has called on all stakeholders in the maritime industry to work in harmony to eradicate corruption and corrupt practices in the industry.
At the 17th edition of the international maritime seminar for judges’ series yesterday in Abuja, the SGF said corruption impedes development and efficiency in any society. It increases the cost of doing business, limits economic growth, negatively impacts social well-being, deprives the government of legitimate revenue, and tarnishes the country‘s image.
The SGF said tackling corruption in the industry will boost development and efficiency in the maritime sector.
He said, “Corruption is a significant impediment to development and efficiency in any society. It increases the cost of doing business, limits economic growth, negatively impacts social well-being, deprives the government of legitimate revenue and tarnishes the country’s image. Therefore, I call on all stakeholders to work harmoniously to eradicate corruption and corrupt practices from the maritime industry.”
In his remarks, the minister of marine and blue economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, said that since the ministry‘s creation, they have been working hard to strengthen its agencies’ institutional and legal frameworks.
The minister further said that in this regard, his ministry has recently backed the repeal of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council Act CAP N113 LFN and the Enactment of the Nigerian Shipping and Port Economic Regulatory Agency Bill, 2024, to bring it up to speed with current realities and maximize the gains of the ongoing reforms when it is eventually passed into law.
Therefore, he urged the judges from various jurisdictions to provide a veritable platform for the harmonization and unification of business laws for greater economic integration.
On his part, executive secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council, Akutah Pius, said that the gathering, which has been happening for the last 32 years, has brought together eminent jurists and experts in maritime law to discuss issues within maritime law to educate judges and practitioners in this field of law and promote the efficiency of court proceedings in maritime law.
On the need to repeal the Shippers Council Act, he said the maritime sector is fast-moving, with many innovations and changes in the industry. Therefore, basic requirements that countries should adopt in their laws are needed.
He said, „We need to speed up this law and adapt it to the modern realities of the maritime sector. The president has found it necessary to focus on the maritime sector to grow the economy; therefore, we need a powerful law capable of providing for the modern realities of the sector.“