The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, has advocated for continual training, specially designed for judges, and players in the maritime sector, in order to enhance their performance for efficient operation of the maritime industry.
Onnoghen made this call yesterday while delivering an address at the 15th International Maritime Seminar for judges, held in Abuja.
According to him, the seminar was meant to keep the judges
abreast with the basic and contemporary skills and knowledge of the complex and dynamic subject of admiralty law and practice as it affects the administration of justice.
Speaking further, he maintained that the adjudicatory duty of a judicial officer could only be become optimal when he remained up to date with emerging trends in jurisprudence relating to his specialized area of law.
He continued: “the domestication of some of the principles of International Admiralty Laws into Nigeria legal framework as contained in the United Nations Convention on carriage of Goods by Sea (Ratification and Enforcement) Act; Merchant Shipping Act; the Council for The Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria Act among others are significant milestones towards ground-breaking legal practice in this sector in Nigeria”
“Given the importance of the industry to national and international trade, countries and organizations begin to innovate ways to enhance the productivity of the industry by applying ICT as a tool for competitive advantages and business sustainability,” Onnoghen added.
Corroborating the CJN, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who was represented by Pius Otteh also called on all stakeholders to encourage the training of judges and legal practitioners in specialized fields of legal practice, such as Maritime Law.
“In view of the fundamental role of the maritime sector in facilitating the conduct of global trade and commerce, we must continue to develop the requisite human capacity to take advantage of opportunities in the sector,” Malami noted.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman Governing Board of Nigerian Shippers Council, Hon. Mai Mala Buni stated that the importance of maritime sector to the nation’s economy at a time of recession and fall in price of oil cannot be over stated.
Represented by Lawal Yakwada, Buni thereafter commended the collaborative effort between the Shippers Council and National Judicial Institute.
