The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Housing and Construction Mayor Limited, My-ACE China, has urged journalists in Rivers State to beam more light on investment opportunities as well as the prevalent peace in the state.
He made the call in his goodwill message to the Energy and Maritime Reporters (EMR) of the Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) during their seminar and awards programme in Port Harcourt
China, who is also known as the Mayor of Housing, said he sees a new vista in the reportage of the energy and maritime sectors of the Nigerian economy from the coastal areas in the coming months and years.
He said he was proud to be associated with the EMR because of his passion for developmental journalism and his frequent calls for the promotion of the positive aspects of Rivers State and more coverage of investment opportunities in the state.
The CEO of the construction firm, owners of the upcoming Alesa Smart City in Eleme Local Government Area of the state, expressed happiness that a wing of the Rivers NUJ has found time to mirror the maritime subsector so that more attention could be beamed on the Blue Economy in the state.
He said that the award of Best Maritime Reporter sponsored by a respected investor, the Dr Emi-Membere-Otaji Foundation resonates with his plans in that direction so that journalists will be encouraged to push deeper and harder in different segments of the economy in the state.
He urged businesses and investors in the state to float more awards in news reporting and support journalists in Rivers State at this point in time to focus more in promoting peace and attracting investments in the state to de-emphasise attention to negative developments that tend to paint the state as a place of war.
The national Vice President of the Nigeria Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Dr. Membere-Otaji, revealed that the Niger Delta, which constitutes more than 70 percent of the Nigerian coastline, has enough human and logistics resources to lead the maritime industry.
He said that over 68 years of oil exploration has taken place mostly in the coastal states and within the waters, thus discovering many locally-made solutions for the associated maritime industry.
Membere-Otaji spoke after handing the Best Maritime Reporter’s Awards in Port Harcourt to the winners and after his firm, Elshcon Nigeria Limited, bagged the industry award of the year.
One of such solutions, Membere-Otaji said, was the use of locally-made and manned flat-bottomed tugboats to move containers away from the Apapa Port in Lagos to other areas where trucks could pick them to ease the traffic gridlock at the nation’s sea ports.
Also, Dr Charles Wami, led other major stakeholders in the coastal states to demand more professional attention to safety at sea and other industry safety issues, just as the stakeholders called on regulatory bodies to intensify safety measures to curb the rate of marine accidents and casualties in Nigeria’s maritime domain.
The Managing Director of Charkin Maritime and Offshore Safety Centre, Dr Wami, represented by Dr. Egben Okore emphasised the need for enhanced safety measures in Nigeria’s maritime sector.
In light of statistics revealing frequent marine accidents most recently, resulting in the tragic deaths of 25 individuals in boat mishaps, Wami called on regulatory bodies like the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the National Inland Water Agency (NIWA) to take immediate and decisive action.
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