Obasanjo Advises Government To Think Out Of The Box And Not Resuscitate Shipping Line

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday has advised the Federal Government against resuscitating the defunct 

Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL). Obasanjo gave the advice in Lagos in his address as Chairman of a two-day stakeholders’ conference on the maritime industry. 

 “NNSL had been liquidated, they tried Nigeria Unity Line, it collapsed,” Obasanjo said. 

“Nineteen brand new ships were specially built for Nigeria, we did not take delivery of some of them until I left office in 1979. 

“When I came back in 1999, NNSL had been liquidated with all the 19 ships gone as well as the five ships in existence. 

 “Two of the ships were missing for almost two years and it was discovered that one military man was using them all over the world and no accountability.” 

The former president, therefore, urged the present administration to “think out of the box and come up with what should be done to grow the maritime industry”.

 “Until NIMASA became a source of where people steal money, nobody knew too much about it. “Before we tried to privatise Nigerian Ports Authority, 

I went to Singapore where you get your container within one hour of arriving the port. “If we cannot perform like Singapore, we have to do better than what we are doing now,” Obasanjo said.