Mr Aminu Umar, President of Nigeria Indigenous Ship Owners Association (NISA) has revealed that the nation loses 700 million dollars monthly (N137.9 billion) to dominance of crude oil shipment by foreign firms.
Umar, who made the disclosure in Lagos on Thursday during the Annual General Meeting of the association, urged the Federal Government to grant indigenous shipowners between 10 to 20 per cent allocation in lifting crude oil.
“Almost 70 to 77 crude oil vessels load oil monthly out of Nigeria,” Umar told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN.
“The foreign shipowners do not employ Nigerians and they do not pay tax. “What we are telling the Federal Government is to give us the support so that we can take at least 10 per cent of the crude oil vessels operating in Nigerian waters.“
The shipowner, who lamented government’s policy in the industry, called for maximum support to indigenous shipowners and for the federal government to create a conducive environment for them to excel.
He further complained about the recent change in the leadership of the maritime sector which, according to him, has stymied development in the sector and erected brick walls in meetings involving the minister of transportation and heads of maritime agencies.
He said that the association would like to partner with government for proper understanding of the maritime industry as an alternative to foreign exchange challenges confronting the nation, while pointing out that freight earnings through the maritime industry could be an alternative source of revenue to the country.
Credit: Vanguard
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