Vincent Toritseju
Lagos — The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, is currently fixing plans to come up with a maritime industry master plan to accelerate the growth of the sector.
Speaking at a meeting with National Association of Stevedoring Companies, Mr. Jubril Ibrahim, Director Maritime Labour and Safety in NIMASA, said details of the plan was still being worked out as at the time of filling this report.
Ibrahim also said that part of the plan is to ensure that the stevedoring sub-sector gets its rightful place in the industry.
He explained that the plan will be both mid and long term adding that when details were fully worked out it will be presented to the industry stakeholders for their input.
Reacting to development, Barrister Osuala Nwagbara, a maritime lawyer, said that the proposed maritime industry master plan with a national transport master plan will not work.
Nwagbara explained that the maritime industry master plan is a very small sub-sector of the national transportation master plan and suggested a holistic transportation master plan adding that when this is done, it will be easier to implement the master plans of other sectors within and even outside the maritime industry.
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He said: “The master plans of the sub-sectors will drive the overall national transportation master plan and will be seen as part of the overall policy of government.
“Not only will it be easier to be implemented, it will also fall in line with master plans for the road, the aviation aspect, the waterways and the pipeline transportation of petroleum products.
“It should be implemented at the level where we have a holistic national transport master plan as it will make for better coordination.”
Recall that the Minister of Transportation had told newsmen that when a national transport master plan is in place, all other sectoral plans will fall into the national plan.