Economic Diversification: Maritime industry ready to take over from oil, says Peterside
The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside, has posited that the maritime industry is ready to take over from oil as the leading revenue earner in the country while calling on all stakeholders to look into the opportunity that abounds in the sector.
The NIMASA DG stated this while receiving the leadership of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) led by its National President, Mr Abdulwaheed Odusile, at the agency’s headquarters in Lagos.
Dr Peterside while noting that the media is the interface between the public and the government urged practitioners to be professional in their reporting as people look up to them as the major source of information especially as the government seeks to diversify the economy from oil.
“We urge you to support the government as it diversifies the economy for a better future for the entire Nigerian populace. You have to be fair and professional while reporting Government activities in order not to create unnecessary panic amongst the public,” the NIMASA boss said.
He stated that the maritime industry is ready to take over from oil as the leading revenue earner in the country and called on all stakeholders to look into the opportunity that abounds in the sector.
Dr Peterside said, “the ocean is a resource a country can leverage on to grow its economy and being blessed with a coastline of about 853km and 250 nautical mile exclusive economic zone, we must begin to take advantage of the maritime opportunities available to us to grow our economy.”
Earlier in his address, Mr. Abdulwaheed Odusile, who had in his entourage the Chairman of the Lagos branch of the NUJ, Mr. Deji Elumoye, said that his colleagues will do more to focus on government activities geared towards revamping the economy, especially at agencies such as NIMASA that are in the frontline of driving the diversification process. He noted that this will help ensure a virile maritime industry and by extension a greater Nigerian economy.
