The National President of Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Mr. Iju Tony Nwabunike has heartily celebrated with Muslim brothers and sisters in the maritime industry in celebrating Eid- El -Fitri. He made this known in a goodwill message signed by him.
In the message, he noted that he admires and salutes the selflessness, self denial and commitment of his muslim fellows particularly in their in praying for a great country at this trying period of economic and security challenges, which he believes together we shall all overcome.
"As we join our Muslim brothers and sisters, especially those in the maritime industry, in celebrating Eid- El -Fitri , which marks the end of thirty days Ramadan fasting, I want to sincerely join you in prayers that may Allah accept your acts of worship and piety. As the second highest revenue earner, Nigeria's maritime industry is the nation's economic low hanging fruits capable of cushioning the temporary effect of reduced oil revenue" Tony said.
He also noted that this year's fasting and Eid- El -Fitri celebration were instructive , coming at a time the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had declared that it would deduct N112 billion from oil and gas proceeds for April to ensure continuous supply of petroleum products to the country and guarantee energy security.Implications includes not having oil revenue for the federal government to share with the states and local governments.
This situation he said is premised on the hike in crude oil prices on the deregulated downstream sector and the need for uninterrupted supply of petroleum products to citizens
In his words, "Aside from the economy, activities in our maritime industry also calls for increased security attention which the federal government (through NIMASA) is rising to the occasion with planned deployment of deep blue assets later this month. It is anticipated that this move will go a long way in fighting piracy and other maritime crimes in the Gulf of Guinea and our country's territorial waters. Safety of vessels, cargoes and crews on our waters have direct impacts on our overall economy since the maritime sector is critical for us in the areas of trade, investment, employment and recreation. Further development of our maritime potentials will be a bold step towards economic diversification for job creation, addressing insecurity and positioning our ports for hub status in the West and Central African regions" Nwabunike said.
The ANLCA boss also stated that "While the government is consciously trying to address the Apapa gridlock, I implore that an emergency be declared to expedite the ongoing road construction works. This could come in the form of 24 hours work by construction workers especially when the rains subside. Any stop gap solution to Apapa traffic is bound to suffer a setback of either extortion or other forms of sabotage until the roads are fully constructed for seamless access to the ports either through Apapa Oshodi Expressway or Apapa Ijora axis. I also implore that the Portharcourt to Eleme axis of the East West road and the adjoining portion leading to Onne Port,where you have a beehive of maritime activities, be attended to in good time for the collective benefits of government and port users".
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