The House of Representatives has begun the amendment process of eight laws relating to Nigeria’s maritime sector in order to better equip the sector to tackle modern day challenges.

Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, said the amendments, when passed, will address issues that have impeded the maritime industry from becoming a major source of foreign exchange that the country is in dire need of.

He made the remarks during a public hearing organised by the House Committee on Ports, Harbours and Waterways, to get the input of stakeholders on the affected bills.

“These Bills are indeed very important and more so now that we as a country are rethinking our economic master plan with the aim of avoiding a future relapse into the kind of nail biting recession which we have just exited from,” Dogara said.

“The Maritime sector is one such key source of huge revenue especially of the much needed foreign exchange, whose potentials have, unfortunately, been grossly under realized.

“This explains the importance which the present Assembly attaches to Maritime Sector reform Bills, 8 of which this committee is presenting to the public for scrutiny and input today.”

The Speaker added that the bills will reposition Nigeria’s maritime sector “to deliver efficient services in a safe, secure and customer friendly environment, generate employment, as well as develop capable local manpower, which will contribute significantly to the nation’s GDP and provide a formidable alternative to oil and gas in terms of revenue.”

The eight bills under consideration include:

• A Bill for an Act to Amend the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act to restrict the use of foreign vessels in domestic coastal trade, promote the development of indigenous tonnage and establish a Cabotage vessel financing fund, and
• iii. A Bill for an Act to Repeal the National Inland Waterways Authority Act, and Re-enact the National Inland Waterways Authority Act; and,
• A Bill for an Act to Amend the Nigerian Ports Authority Act, aimed at providing an appropriate institutional framework for the ownership, management, operation, development and control of Ports and Harbours nationwide.
• A Bill for an Act to Repeal the Nigerian Ports Authority Act, and to Establish the Nigerian Ports and Harbours Authority.
• A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Inland Waterways Authority Act, to specify the tenure of Office of the Secretary and empower the Authority to receive donations and for other related matters, seeking to awaken the consciousness of Nigerians to God’s natural roads and rails provided free to 28 States and the FCT in form of inland waterways.
• A Bill for an Act to Amend the Inland Fisheries Act to review upwards, the penalties for persons who contravene the Act in view of the fact that the current stipulated penalties are grossly inadequate and totally incapable of deterring offenders as the penalties are a mere slap on the wrists of offenders.
• A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Shipping Policy Act, to include the representative of the Nigerian Shippers Council in the membership of the Authority, subject of course to majority opinion, and
• A Bill for an Act to Amend the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria and for Related Matters, to amend some sections of the Council’s Act with a view to empowering it for better performance and improved efficiency.