NTC’s Return Is A Given – Saraki
Transportion Minister, Hon. Gbemisola Saraki has given hint on the rebound of the National Transport Commission (NTC), which was to drive policies in the Transportion ministry and oversee the affairs of Agencies under the Ministry, which also includes those in the Maritime Industry.
Saraki in an interactive session with Journalists in Lagos, on Friday said that the NTC is not dead and buried as touted in some quarters, she explained that the NTC bill was passed by the National Assembly but could not be accented to by the President due to some technical issues.
” Perhaps you don’t know that my humble self worked on that bill at the National Assembly, it was not signed but it has made its way back to the National Assembly to be tidied up and it will be done with, within the next few Months,” Saraki said.
Continuing, she explained that, “every sector has to have it’s policy given direction, to define where the industry is headed and I think National Transport Commission (NTC) is a given.”
On the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF), Hon. Saraki enthused that the Fund will be disbursed soon. According to her, “I was part of those who passed this ACT, for something that happened a long time ago, still not done but reverberating, to see that we are still dwelling on it shows that we haven’t moved on, this suggests backwardness,” she stated.
Moving on she said, “the fund is still intact, not missing as insinuated and has grown up to about 350Million USD and still growing, the fund will be disbursed, it has not been mismanaged.”
The Hon. Minister urged Nigerians to take advantage of the Cabotage ACT, “the more we take Cabotage as a business, the more we grow. It is a multiplyer effect, we have a duty and we will do it,” she said.
Saraki urged the indigenous ship owners to position themselves to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) .
About Post Author
