Stakeholders in the maritime industry, yesterday commended President Bola Tinubu for establishing a dedicated ministry to drive the development of the blue economy and marine resources in the country.
Speaker after speaker said the move was a game changer for Nigeria.
The occasion was the investiture of Engr. Israel Obada as President of the Association of Marine Engineers and Surveyors (AMES).
“This is what we have been praying for,” shipping magnate, Mr Greg Ogbeifun said.
“Therefore, this is the time for us to come together and work together to support the new Minister appointed by the President,” he added.
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Other speakers who are mainly members of AMES and Association of Master Mariners (NAMM) expressed support for the creation of the new ministry which will be headed by Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
Obadan spoke of the determination of the association to help in the development of Nigeria’s maritime sector with a view to boosting international trade.
Members of the association design, construct, operate ,inspect ,certify and maintain assets at sea, and on land .
His words:”As a matter of fact, we are more of international players than local. This is the only profession till date that guarantees international employment from the home country without going through the JAPA dilemma.
“Name it. You can get employed for a job round the globe in the Far East, Europe, in the Arab world or Europe right from Nigeria. We all enjoyed that professional advantage in our time and it still exists today.”
The investiture was graced by the immediate past president of the group, Engr. Adeyinka Okunade, Engr Richard Owolabi, former President, Association of Master Mariners, Engr Eddie Egbumoke, Engr Basil Dike, Engr John Tunji Oguntokun and Engr Emeraku Ijioma,among other dignitaries.
Ogbeifun holds a Masters degree in Marine Transportation, amongst others. He is a member of Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technologists of the United Kingdom (IMAREST).
The Nation Newspapers received the award for the Best Print Media in the country, while the One Page Africa Media received the award for the Best Online Media.