Stakeholders in the maritime industry may have adopted a siddon look approach towards the Federal Government second attempt to revive the Nigerian Unity Line (NUL) by giving it a new licence even as many insisted that the new attempt, like the earlier gesture, might not be anything short of striving to deceive innocent investors.In the first Govern-ments revival attempt, the NUL, which till date has no ship or property beyond few dilapidated tables and chairs in Lagos, was sold to an innocent Nigerian investor, allegedly on the understanding that the diligent investor would use just the name as a national carrier and as the authority to move into maritime terrain and operate the national carrier status, only to be denied the same privileges, after paying what insiders said ran above a quarter of a billion Naira.The indigenous investor, after about two years of futile effort to operate the agreement, allegedly threatened the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) which mid-wife the arrangement for the Government with legal option His money was immediately refunded.Since then, the Government and its statutory agent, the BPE, had seemingly lay low, until the Bureau, last month, again announced that it had re-licensed the defunct NUL; even as the Director-General, Ms Bolanle Onagoruwa, who according to reports, made the disclosure, affirmed that the NUL be sold off to a preferred bidder.But while the BPE, in collaboration with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the actual owner of the NUL are presently being expected to place public advertisements inviting investors for Expressions of Interest (EOI), stakeholders have expressed their dismay that the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan-led Federal Government should be involved in what the outsiders might see as Governments own 419!The NUL has no ship, no property and even the chairs and tables in its rented office at Apapa are now dilapidated. So, what is Government trying to sell to investors at this stage asked a revered shipping operator, who felt the present effort was like trying to make a dead horse run.Are you aware that the Seaforce, a company said to belong to Mr. Femi Otedola, reportedly paid about N260 million as 10 per cent deposit, as the most preferred bidder in 2005 That young man has genuine love of this industry at heart, but they frustrated him. He ended up demanding for his money, the respondent who spoke on condition of anonymity told the Nigerian Tribune.Two other shipping operators similarly expressed same sentiments, stressing that they had adopted the siddon and look approach, to enable Governments new effort mature first, before speaking publicly on the issue; even one of them who noted that the NIMASA presently had some $100 million accumulated from the Cabotage Vessel Financing Funds (CVFF), warning the agency against any attempt to divert the money meant to be administered by the GTB and another new generation bank as loans facility for local ship operators into the defunct NUL project.When the Nigerian Tribune called the BPE spokesman, Chukwuma Nwoko on the subject he confirmed the development, but strongly declined to comment on how the earlier arrangement got Mr. Femi Otedola frustrated.
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