In Nigeria it is under consideration a project in order to create a company of national navigation



with the revitalization of the Nigerian Unity Line (NUL), marine society at the not active moment that initially had a single ship and that it is instituted in 1995 from the Ministry of Transportation on ashes of the Nigerian National Shippng Line (NNSL). The purpose is expressed yesterday by the general manager of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside, in occasion of the presentation of an analysis on the forecasts of development of the marine industry of Nigeria to the general manager of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Alex Okoh.

Peterside has evidenced that the marine transport is one of the carrying aces of the increase of a nation, in particular of its commerce with foreign country, and that such role cannot be carried out without a fleet. The general manager of the NIMASA has specified that, in order to benefit fully of the development of the marine traffic, Nigeria would have therefore to be equipped of ships and would have to make involving it the private sector.

Peterside has specified moreover that the minister of Transports, Chibuike Rotate Amaechi to me, has already started the involvement in the project of the private sector on the aim to collect resources in order to create to a national fleet and that has created also a committee for the institution of the national fleet that is presided by Barrister Hassan Bello, general secretary and managing director of the Nigerian Shippers' Council (NSC).

"The purpose of the federal Ministry of the Transports - Peterside has explained - is to guide a process in order to restore a national fleet this time, with institutional investors who will stop 49% of the actions while the Nigerian shipowners will possess 51% of the actions of the society, society to which moreover will be assigned the status of national carrier".

The general manager of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, that it is the governmental agency in charge of the performance of the reforms in the field of the enterprises, has emphasized that the societies are managed at best by the private ones and that the task of the government is to create an atmosphere favorable to their activity. Alex Okoh has confirmed that the BPE has examined the possibility to reactivate the Nigerian Unity Line, society that does not possess assets but he is titular only of the exercise licence and that, as such, can constitute the base on which founding a new national marine company.