LAGOS: The Nigerian maritime industry, including operators, stakeholders and government agencies gather at the Nigerian Maritime Expo (NIMAREX) to brainstorm on the gains and pains in the sector. The chairman of this year’s NIMAREX programme, Ayorinde Adedoyin, who also doubles as the Managing Director of Peacegate Group Limited, spoke on expectations at the 2015 NIMAREX programme,
Ahead of NIMAREX 2015, some stakeholders are concerned that the crisis rocking the Nigerian Ship-owners Association (NISA) over its president involvement in a $5.85 million loan diversion scandal could mar this year’s NIMAREX programme, given the fact that NIMAREX is the brain-child of NISA. What is your take on this, sir?
There have been problems within NISA. It is true that NISA started NIMAREX. They started it to showcase the industry, but other parts of the maritime industry have already bought into the NIMAREX programme. So, NIMAREX, to me, is not about NISA. NIMAREX is about the maritime industry. The industry has bought into it, so it is not a NISA thing anymore. Yes, it was started by NISA, but other industry operators like the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agencies (NIMASA), even the freight forwarders and others have keyed into the NIMAREX programme. NISA does not fund NIMAREX. The programme is to showcase the maritime industry, not just the indigenous ship-owners subsector.
In an earlier interview with the National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Olayiwola Shittu, he stated that without NISA, there could not be NIMAREX. How true is this, sir?
People just tend to get so many things wrong. I am a member of NISA. I was an executive member of NISA for almost seven years. How can people just say without NISA, there cannot be NIMAREX? It is like somebody saying that without your father, there is no you. Yes, your father gave birth to you, but now you are a grown man that can take decisions independently. Be it right or wrong, you will have to consider where you are coming from when taking some certain decisions, but you take those decisions independently. NISA is not funding NIMAREX. NIMAREX is sourcing for funds from independent people and organisation to fund the exhibition. NISA did very well by setting up NIMAREX as an exhibition platform for the maritime industry to gather every year. NISA will always be important to NIMAREX just like your father is very important to you, but it is wrong for anybody to say without NISA, there cannot be NIMAREX. I really don’t want to discuss in details NISA’s problems because the NISA executive is already handling that.
The Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) is said to have accumulated to about $800 billion. With this year’s NIMAREX theme as, ‘Nigeria: Regenerating economic growth through the maritime sector,’ will the exhibition focus on this fund as a tool to drive growth in the maritime sector?
Past NIMAREX has dwelt so much on the CVFF fund. This year’s NIMAREX will be looking at alternative funding for the maritime sector. The topic this year bothers on funding. What we are more concerned about is that apart from CVFF, people are able to raise money to support maritime business in this country. What we are trying to do is to find companies and banks that are ready to finance maritime business and projects in this country. We have like two foreign banks that have shown interest in coming. For now, I really don’t know what is happening to the CVFF fund. I know the money is there. I know we contribute money. NIMASA and NISA should be in a better position to give details on the CVFF fund.
