Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, summoned for collective efforts by stakeholders for the harness of the potential of the country’s maritime sector.
He revealed this in Lagos recently while launching the book ‘Nigeria and the Global Maritime Industry,’ written by Moses Fadipe, the National Coordinator of the Presidential Port Standing Task Team.
The minister, who was replaced at the event by Olayinka Olusanya appreciate Fadipe as a front-runner dedicated to national interests, emphasising his valuable contributions to the maritime sector.
Oyetola emphasize the need for an action steps and the implementation of insights from Fadipe’s book, calling for a shift from crude oil dependence to promoting the maritime sector for national benefit.
“In order to add value to the gross domestic product and economic growth, it is expedient that the maritime sector be given keen attention.
“We should not just do the talking, we should actionalise the talking. We should go to the next level of ensuring that we implement everything that he has put in this book for the overall benefit of the nation,” he said.
Also, Pius Ukeyima, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council, stressed the critical timing of the book launch.
He acknowledged Fadipe’s instrumental role in advancing the PSTT’s objectives, especially in freeing the port corridor and enhancing efficiency.
“I met Mr Fadipe just in November of last year when I assumed (office) as the ES (of) NSC. And immediately, I saw in him someone who is very restless; someone that when you give him an opportunity to serve, you should not be worried about whether he will succeed or not. You should be worried about the extent of the success he will achieve,” he noted.
Recently, Moses Fadipe, the author of the book emphasis the book’s synopsis of Nigeria’s maritime evolution, its global comparisons, and the exploration of the country’s current standing.
According to Fadipe, the book, beyond being a historical record, aims to offer insights for students, academicians, and government personnel to shape the future of Nigeria’s maritime industry.
“We looked at how the nation’s maritime sector evolved vis-à-vis global maritime development, looking at how successful Nigeria is all over the years, and how more successful the global nations are even when they have less than 20 per cent from what our maritime coastline is from their waterfront,” he remarked.
Olusoji Apampa, the Chief Executive Officer of the Convention on Business Integrity declared Fadipe’s book as a symphony with five parts.
