Blue Economy Ministry Allocates N1.35bn For Vehicles, Foreign, Local Trips

The Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy will spend a whopping N1 billion on the purchase of vehicles in 2024, LEADERSHIP reports.

The ministry will also spend a total of N35 million on local and foreign travel in the same year under review.

According to the 2024 Appropriation Act signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, the ministry will spend N10 million on local travel and transport: training; N15 million on local travel and transport: others and N10 million on international travel and transport: others.

However, speaking on the appropriation, the president, National Association of Managing Director of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Lucky Amiwero, said the money for the purchase of vehicles for the ministry should be channelled towards port rehabilitation.

According to him, purchasing such a huge amount of vehicles is a misplaced priority especially at a time Nigerian Seaports required rehabilitation.

“Until Nigerians are ready to change, we will continue to be in crisis. It’s a terrible thing for us to go through what we are going through currently. What are we using N1 billion vehicles to do when our port facilities are dilapidated. It’s not worth it, we are supposed to make our port infrastructure at par with its contemporaries in the sub region so that we can compete favourable.

“This money allocated for vehicles should have been used for infrastructure development. Our ports lack modern infrastructure and we are not competing with any country. For instance, the ports in Lagos lack infrastructure to compete. We should dredge the channels and make our port more competitive with larger vessels calling but rather, we buy vehicles, but then, it’s unfortunate.

“Look at our port system, we are getting worried and tired but we will continue to ask the government to do things properly. But, they have vehicles before, what are they buying again? That money should be used for infrastructure provision and that would make our port competitive with its contemporaries in West and Central Africa,” Amiwero stated.

Also speaking, a frontline clearing agent, Ikechukwu Anaba, condemned the N1 billion allocated for the purchase of vehicles in the 2024 appropriation budget of the ministry.

Anaba stated that the minister, Adegboyega Oyetola, should set the ministry’s priority right

“N1 billion for vehicles? What happened to the vehicles purchased in 2023 and 2022? Are the vehicles foreign or Nigerian used? Are they not brand new?” he asked rhetorically.

“This is an absolutely misplaced priority because we have lots of other priorities than vehicles,” he stated.