The Association of Marine Engineers and Surveyors (AMES) has urged the newly appointed Marine and Blue Economy Minister, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola to collaborate with stakeholders in the industry.
They spoke at the weekend during the induction of the association’s new President, Israel Obadan.
In his acceptance speech, Obadan hailed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for establishing a dedicated ministry to drive the development of the blue economy and marine resources.
The AMES president noted that this would in turn create jobs and boost the economy.
He also congratulated Oyetola on his appointment, urging the industry players, heads of government agencies, like the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), port operators, experts and other stakeholders in the maritime industry to give their maximum support to the minister.
Obadan said the cooperation would enable the industry to develop and make Nigeria the hub of maritime activities in the West African sub-region.
The AMES president also urged Oyetola to collaborate with the association to initiate good policies and strategies that would make the newly created ministry effective and efficient in job creation, revenue generation and trade facilitation at the port.
He said doing so would enable the new ministry to give President Tinubu’s administration a good name and its imprints on the sand of time.
Obadan, a first-class marine engineer who trained in the United Kingdom (UK), promised the association’s determination to help Oyetola develop Nigeria’s maritime sector to boost international trade and generate massive employment for youths.
Members of the association, he said, design, construct, operate, inspect, certify and maintain assets at sea, and on land.
They are also involved in various types of surveys and certification before vessels can be certified and deployed for operation on territorial waters.
Obadan said: “Ours is a profession, I dare say, that belongs to those we regard as the esoteric group of professions, where people have an imaginary understanding of what we actually do.
“Today, from what you will hear, see and observe, it is our expectation that your horizon will be better broadened. Ours is a profession of theory and practice. We never quite leave the classroom. Ours is a profession of theory and practice.
“Starting with the profiles of members of the National Executive Council (NEC) in the brochure, it shows that only few of the calibre of members with an impressive level of global exposure, educational and professional knowledge acquired stretching some petty long years”.
