Key actors in the maritime economy have expressed delight and satisfaction with the high degree of determination so far exhibited by President Muhammadu Buhari to move the country forward; just as they also commended the Federal Government for the priority it attaches to the economic recovery of the country.
At a one-day seminar on Blue Economy in Lagos and tour of secondary school students and teachers to Apapa Port Complex, the experts praised the government for the introduction of conducive macro-economic policies, as well as the policies it has enunciated and pursued in the maritime sector.
Specifically, they commended the government for supporting the sustained growth of the non-oil economy, adding that government’s effort to tackle youth unemployment in the country could only bear the desired fruit if the children know the opportunities in the non-oil sector.
The School to Sea Tour was attended by a galaxy of maritime experts like: Olaitan Williams, Seyi Okaga, Abdullahi Shuaibu and Samuel Oyeyipo.
The event also provided a platform for officials of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA; the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA; the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA; and the Nigeria Export Promotion Council, NEPC, to speak on the opening of careers to all talents in these federal agencies.
The experts stressed the need for improved investments in the maritime infrastructure.
The programme convener, Olaitan Williams, while welcoming guests, said Ocean Ambassadors Foundation, OAF, has taken a leading role in drawing attention to the opportunities in the maritime sector through the School to Sea seminar and excursion.
She added that on the long run, the answer to the high rate of youth unemployment is to make a thorough reappraisal of the content and direction of the educational system.
South-West Regional Coordinator, NEPC and special guest of honour, Samuel Oyeyipo, said the organization had proved itself a force to reckon with in the promotion of non-oil export in the blue economy.
Oyeyipo said, “The Nigeria’s blue economy can generate far larger revenue than currently exists, once appropriate measures are taken to improve the country’s infrastructure.”
Specifically, the NEPC chief said improvement in the nation’s infrastructure would increase the contribution of non-oil export sector to the nation’s gross domestic product, GDP.
40 students and 10 teachers from St Caleb’s Royal International, Honey Land College, Magodo, Mind Builders School, Ikeja, Methodist Girls High School, Lagos and Jubril Martin Memorial Grammar School, Iponri, participated in the first quarter of the 2020 School to Sea Seminar and Tour.
