Mr Odein Ajumogobia,? a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, on Thursday advised? the Federal Government to develop the transport to become the backbone of the economy.
Ajumogobia made the plea in a keynote address in Lagos at the launch of a book “Admiralty Essays: An Introduction to Legal Issues from West African Perspectives’’ written by a maritime lawyer, Mrs Jean Chiazor-Anishere.
The former minister described “admiralty” as an essential part of the transport sector.
He said Nigeria produced two and half million barrels of oil per day and transported the products as crude abroad for refining and imported back into the country.
“Apart from the petroleum ministry, the next most important ministry is the ministry of transport, which is a very important area of our economy,'' he said.
The former minister said that the Federal Ministries of Finance and Transport had done a lot to reduce the bottlenecks at the ports and allowed best practices in the maritime industry.
Ajumogobia commended the author for dedicating the book to the Late Justice Babatunde Belgore, a former Chief Judge of the Federal High Court and? former President of Nigerian Maritime Law Association.
The former minister said that the book would contribute to the understanding of all aspects of admiralty and “an important addition to the existing literature in maritime law’’.
Justice Ibrahim Auta, Chief Judge, Federal High Court, said the book would help lawyers, students, judges, and all those involved in shipping business in the practice of maritime law.
“For Jean having time to write this book and dedicating it to the late chief judge of the Federal High Court, we say thank you,’’ Auta, represented by Justice Okechukwu Okeke, said.
The author said the book was based on the dreams in her heart many years ago.
She said the task of assembling the materials was daunting and “even overwhelming at first’’.
Chiazor-Anishere said? her desire was to contribute to the development of the sector.
?“I am happy that I did not give up in the face of pressure to write the book,” she said.??
Dr. Ogbai Omo-Eboh, who reviewed the 215 page book of 22 chapters, said it was “well-researched and diligently written”.
Omo-Eboh said? the book was designed to give maritime lawyers, students and prospective investors an insight into the dynamics of shipping business.
The reviewer, however, said that “the author puts the enormity of piracy rather mildly.”
He said that Nigeria had overtaken the hot spots of piracy in the South China sea and the Strait of Malacca. ?
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