Port economists, ship owners, maritime lawyers, major maritime stakeholders and longstanding maritime journalists are to converge in Lagos to examine, analyse and find lasting solutions to maritime teething problems in the country.

The event is billed to hold on December 4, 2024, at Rockview Hotel, Apapa, Lagos during the maiden edition of Port News Summit

It was learnt that the summit would attract respected port economists, ship moguls, respected maritime stakeholders, legal experts and longstanding maritime journalists.

According to the organisers, the occasion would be chaired by former Minister of Interior, Captain Emmanuel Ihenacho, while the Guest Speakers would be the renowned economist and a former Director General of Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industries (LCCI), Dr Muda Yusuf and maritime legal luminary, Olisa Agbakoba,

Others are the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu who would be the chief host, and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, His Excellency, Adegboyega Oyetola as the special guest of honour.

One of the organisers, Mr Gboyega Oni, said that major discussions at the event would be: “Since the privatisation of the ports in 2006 by the Federal Government, what has been the fate, the performance indexes of the concessionaires, who were entrusted our port terminals and other sensitive facilities with?

“Have the concessionaires, especially the foreign investors, added value to the system in terms of skills transfer, timeliness, increased ships and cargo volumes?

“Did the new order translate into more revenues for government and port users in general? Do the recent steadily galloping customs revenues tantamount to an upward swing in ship traffic and a growing Nigerian economy?

“How do we juxtapose an incipient spectre of forlorn Nigerian freight forwarders and licensed customs agents with diminishing involvement alongside a Customs Service counting trillions of Naira as generated duties? Who remits these humongous sums to Customs? What’s the real worth of these monies? Where are the cargoes?”

He stressed that these and many posers would be entertained by maritime technocrats, economists and well-meaning guests at the Slsummit with an unflinching goal of improving standards and increasing productivity and profitability in the Nigerian maritime industry.