*Reviews 16 Years Port Concession
All is now set for the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) 34 years anniversary celebration.
The celebration which will take place in Lagos on November 28, 2022 will also be used to review Nigeria’s port reforms with the theme “16 years of Port Concession: The Pains and Gains”.
MARAN stated that it will use the occasion to celebrate what it called “robust reportage” of the maritime industry.
An affiliate of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), MARAN remains the umbrella body of reporters covering the maritime industry for over three decades.
In a statement issued in Lagos recently and made available to Maritime Bits, it said as the foremost maritime media association which was formed in November 1988, it has remained the umbrella body of all journalists posted to cover or report the activities of the nation’s shipping and allied business. MARAN will clock 34 years in existence in November 2022.
The statement which was signed by the Chairman Planning Committee, MARAN 34th Anniversary and Awards, Mr. Dapo Olawuni said the association has lined up activities to celebrate the landmark event.
These include the conferment of awards of excellence on some notable corporate bodies and individuals who have greatly impacted positively on the growth and development of the maritime industry.
According to Olawuni, MARAN has lined up critical stakeholders and speakers who would x-ray the 16 years of port concession era in Nigeria and proffer the way forward.
Stakeholders expected to grace the occasion are the Minister of Transportation Engr Muazu Jaji Sambo, former Chairman of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Chief Adebayo Sarumi, Chairman of Integrated Oil and Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho, Chairman of Sifax Group, Dr. Taiwo Afolabi, Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Muhammed Bello-Koko and the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh.
Others are the former President of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu, Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, Colonel Hameed Ali (retired), Chairman of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), General Buba Marwa (retired), the Iyalaje Kano, Hajia Bola Muse, and Lagos base legal practitioner, Mrs. Jean Chiazor Anishere (SAN).
The award/gala night is slated for November 28, 2022 at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja Lagos.
“It is instructive to note that MARAN Awards come once in a decade as the last edition was held in December 2013. The association was deliberate in making the anniversary and award ceremony a decade-long one to infuse integrity and nobility into the awards. This is a radical departure from others.
“The association plans to draw the attention of the Federal Government to the need to further review the port concession era, and to examine the opportunities posed by the building of new ports, especially the much celebrated Lekki Deep Seaport/ There is an urgent need to look at how far we have exploited and harness the potentials of the existing port infrastructures, and to examine the emerging opportunities posed by new ports for the good of the Nigerian economy”, he added.
