NISA boss decries non presence of Nigerian players in crude oil lifting, CVFF delay
The continued discouragement of indigenous shippers due to the official silence of Nigerian Maritime and Safety Administration (NIMASA) in the disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel financing Fund (CVFF) domiciled in the agency has been fingered as one of the key reasons why no Nigerian owned ship is partaking in the lifting of Nigerian crude oil for sales abroad.
Apart from the delay in the release of the fund which the Director general of NIMASA, Dakuku Peterside had been dodging to explain, the president, Nigeria Ship owners Association of Nigeria (NISA), Aminu Umar has said that Nigeria was losing a huge amount of money due to the fact that the foreign ship owners dominate the transportation of the country’s crude oil.
He said “Almost 70 to 77 crude oil vessels load oil monthly out of Nigeria. “The foreign ship owners do not employ Nigerians and they do not pay tax. What we are telling the federal government is to give us the support so that we can take at least 10 per cent of the crude oil vessels operating in Nigerian waters”.
“If government could give indigenous ship owners 10 per cent allocation to lift crude oil, they would create jobs for the teeming youths and would retain the proceeds in the nation’s banks.” Unlike the foreign vessel operators who freight out Nigerian crude oil without paying a dime to the federal government as tax, Umar said that indigenous ship owners would pay tax which would assist the government in carrying out its responsibilities.
Experts in crude oil lifting logistics say Nigerians are not players because indigenous shippers are not encouraged by the government as it is done in other maritime nation.
