By Steve Agbota
Determined to reduce unemployment in the country, industry stakeholders and top government officials will on Tuesday meet to discuss how to create one million jobs in the maritime sector for youths within one year.
The event, being initiated by Employment Clinic as part of efforts to reduce poverty and unemployment among the teeming unemployed youths in the country will hold in Apapa in Lagos.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of the Employment Clinic, Ms Ronke Kosoko, the event with the theme: “Project One Million Jobs: From impact to Legacies, Heading To a New Frontier in Maritime Economy” is being initiated to ensure that government fixes the Infrastructural deficits hindering the private sector from multiplying opportunities which would help withdraw jobless youths from the streets across the country.
She said: “The Federal Ministry of Transportation and its Agencies and Parastatals, the Minister for Transportation, Engr. Mu’azu Jaji Sambo, the Lagos State Government and several private organisations have declared their support to ensure the success of the project and ready to work with the Lagos State Government where necessary.
“Thousands of our youths can be practically engaged in fish trawling, ship building and repairs, cabotage, port and harbour, hydro power generation, offshore and offdock stevedoring, jetty operation, ferry and boat services, tourism, platforms, pilot and towage boats, mooring and supply crew vessel, shipping, forwarding agencies, medium and small scale industries, reefers carriers, truck holding bays, refineries, petro-chemical shipping, dredging and marine materials excavation, supply of bunkers of petroleum and water, cargo consolidation, logistics and distribution as well as the new opportunities been redefined by the new market opportunities and port developments across the country particularly in Lagos State which now houses three port cities,” she said.
Kosoko stressed that it has become imperative to empower the youths in all the sub-sectors of the maritime industry not only with the right skills but through the right mentorship processes, internship placement, hand holding, guidance and in every way in order to explore the abundant resources flourishing in the country’s waterways and seabed.
She said that the industry alone can absolve over five million workforce across the country because of the potentials and the opportunities in an industry with over N90 trillion asset base.
Expected at the event are the Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo; Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwoolu; Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola; Desmond Elliot, Chief Pius Akinyelure, Nigeria Shippers Council, Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment, The Commissioner, Local Government Service Commission, Chairman and Secretary of Conference 57, the association of 57 LGAs and LCDAs in Lagos, Barr. Rotimi Edu, President, Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRiB), Hull Blyth, Meditterean Shipping Company, Ports and Cargo Handling Company, Sifax Group, CMA GGM, Bollore, Flour Mills, Lekki Port, APMT, Josepdam Port Services Nigeria Ltd, Five Star Logistics and over 20 other top level CEOs, SMEs, ENL CONSORTIUM, Barr Rotimi Edu, Pacific International Line, TICT, Chief Executives of Maritime Agencies; Chairman, Seaport Terminal Operation Association of Nigeria (STOAN), Princess Vicky Haastrup, Chief Isaac Jolapamo, Former Minister of interior, Capt. Emmanuel Iheanacho, Mr. Shehu Bankole-Hameed formerly of Accenture USA, Deloitte Touche, Cisco and City of Chicago among others
