A Ministerial Committee on Modalities for the Establishment of a Nigerian Fleet, has disclosed that Nigeria lost $2.2 billion in 2014 due to lack of its own international shipping line.
The committee stated that Nigeria would have earned $2.2 billion if 50 per cent of the ships that came into the country were Nigerian ships.
Chairman of the committee, Olu Akinsoji who spoke on Monday, June 20, in Abuja during the presentation of the report of the committee to Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, lamented that the country was losing huge sums of money for not having a ship to carry the country’s cargo.
He said Nigeria lacks ship operating on international waters with dry local cargo, adding that all international cargo the country generates are carried by foreign ships.
“If 50 per cent of the over 5000 ships came to Nigeria in 2014 were Nigerian ships, crewed by Nigerians, say 20 Nigerians per ship, and earning $3,000 per person, Nigeria would have made $2.2 billion,” Akinsoji said.
“That is apart from the freight that is accruable by carrying Nigerian cargo. The human elements, the sea farer that would have worked on those ships would have earned $2.2 billion and you imagine every family of that sea farer would have benefited from the cargo.
“These are the kinds of loses that we are making by not having ships that are carrying our cargo. All the international cargo we generated is carried by foreign ships. We don’t have a ship in international waters carrying dry cargo.”
The Minister however gave the assurance that the Federal Government would assist the committee to implement its findings.
