By Martin Paul
Abuja
National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) have entered into collaboration on the need to introduce Maritime Law as a course of study in Nigerian universities.
The agreement was, in Abuja, during a courtesy visit by the Executive Secretary of the Council, Hassan Bello on the NUC scribe, Professor Julius Okojie.
According to Bello, the dearth of legal practitioners and judges in Maritime Law had continued to hinder the adjudication of maritime cases in the country.
He said the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), had directed the council to collaborate with NUC in introducing the basics of Maritime Law into curricular of faculties of Law in Nigerian universities.
Bello said that other justices of the Supreme Court had also requested the council to do same.
“This, according to their lordships, is because until recently, Maritime Law was not taught in our universities both at under graduate and post graduate levels.
“As a result of this, our judges who are called to dispense justice on complex maritime issues, found it extremely tasking to dispose of such matters expeditiously.
“As a matter of fact, some Justices of the Supreme Court and those of the Court of Appeal have, in the past, admitted that they had no prior contact with admiralty law until after participating in the Maritime Seminar for Judges Series.
“In several instances, their lordships find solace in the papers that were presented at the past seminars in determining complex maritime cases.’’
The executive secretary said that Nigerians interested in developing a career in admiralty practice had to undertake such course abroad at a great cost.
He said that the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, had also lent a voice to the need for the council to partner with NUC in introducing Maritime Law to Nigerian universities.
“It is expected that the teaching of the subject as an undergraduate course will equip judges and lawyers with a better grasp of the subject matter.
“It will help speed up complex maritime cases like impounding of vessels through arrest and detention,’’ he said.
Responding, Okojie said that NUC and the council would set a committee to work out the modalities and urged the council to do its survey and work towards capacity building in the area of manpower.
Okojie, however, nominated some staff of the commission that would be members of the joint committee on introduction of course in Nigerian universities and urged to council to the same.
“It is not something that will be difficult, we will proceed quickly. It will be a course that could be a specialised one and we will introduce it and it will run concurrently at the postgraduate level,’’ he said.
