Greg Ogbeifun Stages Comeback @72 Over Establishment Of  Marine Blue Economy Ministry

A foremost shipping expert and Chairman Starz Marine and Engineering Ltd, Engr. Greg Ogbeifun has announced staging a comeback to the maritime industry over the establishment of Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.

Ogbeifun who commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the innovation of establish the new ministry,  noted that it is the right step in the right direction for the maritime industry’s  growth and development.

The maritime expert who declared his intention to come out of retirement at 72 during the National Discourse 2.0  Distinguished Maritime Personalities event  held in Lagos on Tuesday, maintained that the political appointees know little or nothing about the new Ministry, hence the need for proper enlightenment and encouragement from players in the maritime industry.

“Am back to the maritime industry because of the creation of Marine and Blue Economy. The are politicians, the mean well for us but they don’t know Jack about our Industry.

“Therefore we will need to advice them for the benefit of growing the marine and blue economy ministry,”Ogbeifun affirmed.

He further called on the private sector in the shipping subsector of the maritime to establish platforms to help actualise the policies of the sector.

According to him, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done what he is supposed to do by separating the Maritime ministry from the transportation hence it behoves on the sector plyers to take it upon themselves to make out something from the government’s laudable initiative.

He maintained that creating private platforms will help to refloat the sector and ensure its continuity.

For the purpose of floating the private platforms, the shipping magnate said he decided to come out of retirement back into active shipping operations even as he promised stakeholders to watch out for him in days to come.

Ogbeifun affirmed that:”We must commend him for having the boldness to come out whether he understands the implication or not, it is irrelevant. They have done what they are supposed to do. They have appointed whoever they want to appoint but the private sector should now rise up to set up platforms to help that ministry to actualise it’s objective.

“If we get established platforms for the policies of that ministry to be actualised, that ministry can get better than others and that is what has called me out back into active Maritime activities. Not because I am looking for money, or because I am looking for contract but because we must talk the talk and walk the talk.

“These are the areas the government must come in and address and there will be proliferation of different fleets and carrying different cargoes and this is where I call on you the press to begin to throw up these two critical issues so that the new government will know

“These people, they don’t know jack, they are politicians, they mean well but they are relying on you and I to tell them the critical things to do

“As time goes on, you will be hearing about it because it is about all of us.”

Engr. Ogbeifun, who was a former President,Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (SOAN) expressed fears of possible extinction of master mariners over lack of platforms for cadets’ training.

“There is nothing wrong with Cabotage, but global shipping that we should have attained long before now and we must continue to talk about that importance or else, in a short while, you will no longer see internationally trained mariners like my humble self, Captain Alao, Captain Iheanacho and a few other that are ageing generation.

“If we go to establish such platforms that produced some of us like the national lines because if we don’t do that, we are just creating a vacuum that will be almost impossible to fill and that is why this initiative is good.

“There are challenges, we all know but we cannot have a fleet called Nigeria’s if we don’t review some policies that other successful nation’s are implementing in their domain.”

In his opening speech, he maintained that there is no nation that can boast of being a maritime nation without flying her flag globally and no nation can boast of being a viable, efficient maritime nation if it does not have an efficient port.

“Those two are paramount for any nation to consider itself a maritime nation to reckon with. It takes a critical few to make a change or an impact.

“In an event a few weeks ago at Oriental Hotel, I was invited as an awardee and panelist and at the event, I made an announcement that I was coming out of retirement back into active Maritime operation for one singular objective.

“My prayer is that this country in my lifetime, should have global trading fleet that is private sector driven. I need your support, prayed and encouragement.

“We tried to make it happen through the Fleet Implementation Committee but the government did not have the political will to see it through.

“What has motivated me to do this. Those of you who remember the first NIMAREX which I was privileged to chair the planning committee, ” he stated.

By Roland Ekama