Saraki Laments Non-Disbursement Of N210bn Cabotage Fund
Minister of State for Transport, Gbemi Saraki has described as national shame, the the non-disbursement of the N210 billion Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVF) since its establishment in 2003.
The CVFF which has increased from $195 million in 2021 to $350 million or N210 billion in 2022, was set up, and inserted in the Coastal and Inland Shipping Act of 2003 otherwise referred to as Cabotage Act 2003, to provide funds for vessel acquisition amongst indigenous operators.
The fund is pooled from the two per cent contribution by indigenous ship owners from every contract executed in the nation’s waters.
The disbursement of the CVFF is backed by the provisions of Section 42(1)-(2) of the Cabotage Act 2003, which aims to promote the development of indigenous ship acquisition capacity by providing financial assistance to Nigerian operators in domestic coastal shipping.
Speaking in Lagos after a week-long inspection tour of the Lagos and Tin-Can Island Port Complexes, Senator Saraki said it was shameful that no indigenous ship owner has been able to access the fund that was designed to enable them to acquire vessels nearly 20 years after it was established.
Saraki, while fielding questions from maritime correspondents disclosed that the money in the CVFF account now stands at $350million (N210billion).
She assured indigenous shipowners that the fund was still intact contrary to speculations in some quarters that it may have been misappropriated.
She explained: “The guidelines for the disbursement of the fund have been formulated and would soon be presented to the National Assembly for approval. It would immediately be followed by the actual disbursement of the funds to the already shortlisted beneficiaries.
“The delay in the disbursement is not the fault of the Federal Ministry of Finance, but rather more of securing approval of the guidelines for the disbursement from the National Assembly. This would be done in no distant time.
“It is very disheartening that the fund has not been disbursed but we will work with the National Assembly to ensure its disbursement; just watch, it has to be disbursed, especially with the coming on stream of the African Continental Free Trade Area AfCFTA. In the course of this visit, I have also interacted with so many stakeholders including the indigenous ship owners. I know the number of vessels that Nigerians had 10 years ago and I know how many they have now.
“It is a shame that this fund has not been disbursed, I learnt the value is $350million now and I am not sure any part of it is missing. We will work with the National Assembly to pass the guidelines. It is not really about the Federal Ministry of Finance but I think it is more of the political will to disburse it and I think we have the political will to do so.”
Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, had in 2021, said the fund had grown to $195 million between 2003 and 2021.
It would be recalled that Amaechi had some time in 2020 set up a committee to develop fresh guidelines for the disbursement of the fund. Part of the new guidelines was that only indigenous ship owners, who have contributed to the fund are eligible to access the loan.
Comments are closed.