Marine Police Wants FG To Invest In Water Transportation

The Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Marine Affairs, Mr. Alkali Usman, has pledged to collaborate with the Nigerian Shippers Council in its ombudsman role and mandate in port operations.

Usman made this known during a working visit to the council ‘s head office in Lagos, even as he appealed to the agency to engage the federal government on the need invest in water transportation infrastructure.

Usman stressed that despite the impunity in the country, the port economic regulator needs to work with the police to succeed, adding that the police would put all necessary measures in place to address challenges faced on the waterways.

He noted that the marine command was created to assist other maritime agencies in the sector, adding that policing the blue or brown waterways was key to encourage businesses.

Usman stated that challenges at sea were enormous when compared to land but with support from other agencies in the industry, crime at sea would be reduced to the barest minimum.

The police top brass highlighted the responsibilities of the police, noting that it needs support from sister agencies in the sector in order to police the waterways effectively.

“We want government to realise that our responsibilities cannot be carried out without other stakeholders’ support for us to operate.

“Essentially, beside enforcement and revenue generation, I think it is high time government needed to be told that land mode of transportation has been saturated, therefore we need to focus our attention on the sea, rail and air.

“Government needs to create a conducive environment for effective transportation which will assist in protecting lives and properties,” Usman said.

Earlier, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council, Hassan Bello, said while carrying out its responsibilities, it sometimes encountered some level of resistance from operators.

He said as a regulatory agency in the maritime sector, there was the need to apply some level of enforcement while dealing with service providers which must fall under the ambit of the law.