NIGERIA is losing $700 million monthly (about N137.9 billion) to dominance of crude oil shipment by foreign ship owners, National President of Nigeria Indigenous Ship Owners Association (NISA), Aminu Umar, has said.
Umar made the disclosure in an interview yesterday in Lagos on the sideline of the Annual General Meeting of the association.
He urged the Federal Government to grant indigenous shipowners between 10 and 20 per cent allocation in lifting crude oil. The shipowner said that Nigeria was losing a huge amount of money due to the fact that foreign shipowners had dominated the transportation of crude oil.
“Almost 70 to 77 crude oil vessels load oil monthly out of Nigeria. The foreign shipowners do not employ Nigerians and they do not pay tax. What we are telling the Federal Government is to give us the support so that we can take at least 10 per cent of the crude oil vessels operating in Nigerian waters,” he said.
According to him, if government could give indigenous shipowners 10 per cent allocation to lift crude oil, they would create jobs for the country’s youths and retain part of the proceeds in the nation’s banks.
Umar said indigenous shipowners would also pay tax which would assist the government in its responsibilities. He said that the association was ready to partner the government to check the shortcomings in crude oil trade.
The shipowner said that government’s policy had not been supporting indigenous operators, urging government to give them maximum support and to also create a conducive environment for them to excel.
Umar said that the recent changes in leadership of the maritime sector had slowed the association down in arranging meetings with both the Minister of Transportation and heads of maritime agencies.
He said the association would like to partner government for proper understanding of the maritime industry as an alternative to resolving the foreign exchange challenges confronting the nation
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