The National Fleet Implementation Committee says all the necessary requirements for the establishment of the national fleet have been concluded.
Making the revelation in a phone chat with Financial Street, committee member Aminu Umar stated that some conditions still needed to be in place before the fleet could be fully operational.
Recall that the need for an operational shipping fleet has been cause for concern for many years. Despite the huge capital influx for such project, experts believe that the shipping industry could form the mainstay of the Nigerian economy given its potential of three to five per cent yearly growth, based on its local market.
Umar, however, disclosed that recommendations had been made and submitted to the National Economy Council, the Minister of Transportation, as well as his counterpart in the Budget and Planning ministry.
He added that some policies were standing in the way of the fleet being set up, but that the exeutive was looking into these.
“I understand that the committee has more or less concluded all the requirements for the establishment and growth of the national fleet.
“Already, I know the committee has concluded all the necessary write-up to all the different government MDAs, even as the chairman of the committee, Mr Hassan Bello, has already made the presentation to the National Economic Council,” he stated.
While the NFIC member could not give date for when the project would take off, he said, “Though the term of the chairman is coming to an end, I am sure he will complete and submit everything before he goes. I don’t know the date of the submission, but I am sure he will complete it…before he leaves office.”
Umar added, “There are some requirements, although I am not the right person to tell you, but being a member of the committee, I know that there are conditions that need to be met to be able to set up the national fleet.
“Some of these conditions are in the policies that need to be looked at and maybe changed. And I am sure these are the things he has presented, which they are already looking into.”
