Amaechi: Shame of Piracy Was Why I Did Not Travel for IMO Election

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*As Dakuku says Nigeria has everything to become hub of maritime industry in Africa
By Francis Ugwoke
Transportation Minister, Hon Rotimi Amaechi, has revealed that the shame of piracy in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) was what made him not to travel for the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) election held recently in London.
Nigeria had lost the Category C seat election to Kenya.
Kenya beat Nigeria by 1 vote in what was indeed very narrow and annoying to Nigerian representatives and supporters at the election.
Nigeria polled 110 votes as against Kenya which polled 111 votes.
Amaechi said the situation has been very worrisome, particularly with the fact that foreign shipowners were now engaging security guards in ship while bringing cargos to Nigeria.
The Minister said he was even more worried considering that Nigeria has now become the numbe one piracy country in the world as against Somalia that held the record over the years.
The Minister spoke on the occasion of Night of Appreciation held in Lagos by the Nigerian Shippers Council last week.
He added that he was more worried that some individuals were exploiting the situation to make money for themselves.
But he said he was all out to fight the pirates with the equipment being acquired to guarantee safety of the waters.
Amaechi said, “Somalia was number one some years ago but the international community was able to address the issue in Somalia. The Gulf of Eden later became number one and Nigeria emerged as number two. Today Nigeria is number one.
“What these private companies do is to go to oil companies and provide vessels to escort them with officers of the Nigerian Navy to the platforms. For every vessel coming into the country, they charge the importer who also factors in the additional cost in the final prices of goods and services.
“As a country, we ought to be ashamed of this practice. When I was asked to prepare for the IMO Council elections, I said I wasn’t going because I am ashamed of Nigeria’s maritime report. This report isn’t hidden and they would read it at that meeting. How would I feel afterwards to introduce myself as a Minister of Transportation from Nigeria (the number one nation in maritime insecurity). I was embarrassed two years ago and I made up my mind not to go there again” .
“I have traveled out of the country twice with the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside. We went to see the Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria after nineteen foreigners were kidnapped on Nigerian waters and eighteen of them are Indians while the last one is Scottish. I want the National Assembly to note that we would fight this war and nobody will stop us.”
“The federal government disbursed $195million to the Ministry of Transportation to buy equipment and other facilities needed to. However, some Nigerians who are making money from the system are out to scuttle the government’s effort. Nigeria is losing $27 billion annually and $7billion for oil bunkering”.
Dakuku however in his goodwill message on the occasion spoke on Nigeria’s potentials to be the hub in Africa.

Dakuku said, “We have the biggest market in black Africa! Two hundred million people in a single location! We have the biggest GDP in the continent of Africa. We are located at the centre of West and Central Africa. We have a long coast line. We have the longest inland waterways in the continent of Africa: 10,000 kilometres. We have 3,000 kilometres of navigable waters!
“Twenty eight of our 36 states are navigable all year round!
“We have got everything to become a hub of Maritime industry, not only in the West and Central Africa, but of the whole of Africa!
“We have the biggest tonnage in Africa, after Liberia… There is absolutely no reasons, why we should not become the hub in Africa!”