The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Dr. Pius Akutah has thrown his weight behind the Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN) Annual Maritime Lecture (MAMAL) 2025.
Akutah also hailed MARAN for its advocacy on critical issues of national importance over the years.
He thanked the journalists group for its consistent commitment to reforms and cost-reduction efforts in the nation’s maritime sector.
On the theme of MAMAL 2025, he stated that Nigeria has no business being listed in a war risk zone and consequently mandated to pay insurance premiums
The NSC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) made these assertions while receiving a delegation of MARAN at Shippers Plaza, the corporate headquarters of the council at Apapa, Lagos recently.
He wondered whether Nigeria has any business being in the war risk zone just as he made reference to the absence of terrorist attacks in Nigerian waters in the past three years.
While describing the theme of MAMAL 2025, “Addressing the Burden of War Risk Insurance on Nigerian Maritime Trade” as timely and critical, he acknowledged the vital roles played by the media in shaping conversations around the nation’s maritime developments.
The NSC helmsman stated that the council recognizes and deeply values the contributions of MARAN as one of its partners.
“We are partners and I can tell the contribution your association is bringing to the table. We are very proud of what you are doing,” he added.
He pat MARAN on the back for championing advocacy around the removal of war risk insurance on Nigerian-bound cargo, insisting that the current classification of Nigeria as a war risk zone is unjustified and economically damaging.
He averred that such misclassification imposes what he called “additional and avoidable costs” on the Nigerian economy and undermines the competitiveness of the nation’s seaports.
According to him, port cost inefficiencies have long been a major source of concern and excessive charges are among the key contributors to Nigeria’s uncompetitive port environment.
He noted that the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola, is already leading efforts to get Nigeria off the war risk list, but emphasized that advocacy must go beyond government action and involve all categories of industry stakeholders.
“This is how we will develop our sector by being proactive and not only criticising but also bringing solutions to the table,” he stated.
Akutah pledged that NSC will fully participate in the conference, just as it had in previous years even as he expressed personal interest in attending the event due to its relevance to the council’s core mandate — reducing the cost of doing business at Nigerian ports.
The President of MARAN, Mr. Godfrey Bivbere had earlier expressed appreciation to the efforts of the regulatory agency in tackling the myriad of challenges at the nation’s ports.
According to him, NSC could also initiate a more holistic approach to eliminating the burden of WRI by engaging the United African Shippers’ Council (UASC) and Global Shippers Forum (GSF) to end the menace.
