The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed to second reading, a bill for an Act to establish Nigerian Maritime Security Trust Fund and other matters related thereto (2020) and was referred to the relevant committee for final legislative inputs.
Leading debate on the second reading, which received the unanimous endorsement of the lawmakers present at the plenary, sponsor of the bill, Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, who is the Chairman of the House Committee on Navy, said that the general principle of the bill was to provide for the establishment of a special fund for training and retraining of naval personnel for optimum productivity, as well as funding for equipment and machinery that would aid the seamless protection of the Nation’s waterways by the Nigerian Navy, thereby guaranteeing a robust economic development of the country.
The lawmaker maintained that since the mainstay of the Nigerian economy (oil) was majorly sourced and moved through the waterways, while the largest chunk of the Nation’s import and export of other goods were carried out through the seas, it was imperative that “the Nigerian Navy is sufficiently equipped and routinely trained to curb the excesses of pirates, oil bunkers and other illegal activities on our waterways that hamper our economic development.”
While highlighting the importance of the bill, all contributors to the debate lend their voices to the establishment of the fund and urged the House to pass the bill into law without any delay.
The bill was first read on 15th March 2021 and seeks to exist for 8 years from the commencement date of the Act, (when finally passed by the National Assembly and assented to by Mr. President), unless it is further extended by an Act of the National Assembly.
The glowing contributions to the debate by the members present to underscore the importance of the bill to the economic development of Nigeria and our national security.
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