By Innocent Orok
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has lend its voice to indigenous shipping activities in the country, saying
as a way of boosting international trade and the maritime industry, Nigeria can focus on construction of local smaller vessels and barges instead of waiting for the foreign bigger vessels which are not available at the moment.
The Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi stated this at the Annual Maritime Finance Conference organised by the Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON) in conjunction with the NLNG Shipping and Marine Services Limited (NSML) in Lagos on Thursday.
Adeniyi who was represented at the event by Comptroller Dera Nnadi mni, Customs Area Controller of Tin Can Island Customs command, said that vessel construction needed to be given necessary supports in the country to boost movement of goods in the Nigerian waters .The Customs boss emphasised that vessels are sine qua none to effective and efficient international trade.
According to him, Customs introduced barge operations to ease movement of cargoes, starting from the Tin Can Island Port in a little way which later become a large investment in the maritime industry.
In order to support and sustain such move, he said such low hanging fruit as construction of smaller and local vessels need to be encouraged especially now that the president has given the needed support.
Nnadi said , “We should look inwards particularly at this time we are experiencing scares resources, Mr President is encouraging us to look inwards and encourage home grown technology to move forward.
“We need to appreciate locally constructed vessels. We don’t need to wait until we build bigger vessels before we can exercise our expertise. We can’t wait until we have bigger forces or to construct bigger vessels, we can start with smaller ones, the lower hanging fruits,” he said.
The Customs boss said the Service is in support of any moves made to encourage local shipping stating that Customs activities revolves around shipping and movement of cargoes across borders.
He commend AMJON for putting up such conference to stimulate investment in building and construction of needed vessels and barges.
