Abuja Hosts 15TH International Maritime Seminar for Judges
The Ladi Kwali Conference Centre of the Sheraton Abuja Hotel was a beehive of activities on Tuesday, July 3, 2018 as delegates from across Nigeria and a number of West African sister-states converged for the 15th biennial International Maritime Seminar for Judges. The seminar, a collaboration between Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Transportation, the National Judicial Institute (NJI) and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), was meant to upgrade the knowledge of judges and relevant stakeholders on the modalities of maritime law, an increasingly complex and dynamic aspect of law, but one which, in most cases, is shrouded in mystery, as far as the experience of many a judge in these parts is concerned. Hence the need for seminars like this one.
The event which was preceded on Monday, July 2, 2018 with a cocktail party at the Supreme Court in Abuja, which was graced by Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Walter S. N. Onnoghen, GCFR, CJN, other justices and judges of both the higher and lower benches, as well as important government dignitaries.
The opening day of the seminar was chaired by Chief Bayo Sarumi, a former executive secretary of the NSC, while the special guest of honour was the Honorable Justice Onnoghen. The nation’s number one jurist was joined on the high table by the president of Nigeria’s Court of Appeal – the country’s second-highest appellate court – Hon. Justice Zainab A. Bulkachuwa, as well as the Chief Justices of the Gambia and Sierra Leone, and the representative of the Chief Justice of Ghana. The honorable minister of transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi; the chief of army staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai; and the comptroller-general of the Nigeria customs service; Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd.) were all represented at the occasion.
Also Read: Afba Reveals Hotel Partners / Provisional Program Schedule 2018 Conference Sessions
In his address of welcome, which was delivered on his behalf, the chairman of the board of governors of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Alhaji Mala Buni, , praised the work of the NSC over the years, not only for its efforts in protecting the interests of Nigerian shippers and contributing to the growth of the nation’s economy, but also for its effort to build capacity in maritime and admiralty law among relevant stakeholders on both the bench and the bar in Nigeria and beyond, in a bid to position them for effective adjudication of maritime-related disputes – whether through litigation or through mediation and other alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms. The present challenges facing the maritime sector across the globe – security being one of them – necessitate a revaluation of the legal and operational framework of this key sub-sector of the nation’s economy.
Also speaking, the Administration of the National Justice Institute, Hon. Justice Rosaline Bozimo traced the history of the International Maritime Seminar for Judges from its inception in 1995, noting that this initiative had over the years led to a number of jurisprudential landmarks.
Others who also made opening remarks included the Chief Judge of the federal high court in Abuja, Hon. Justice Abdul Kafarati, who is also the chairman of the committee of the seminar; the chairman of the occasion, Chief Adebayo Sarumi; and the permanent secretary in the federal ministry of transportation, Alhaji Zakari, who represented the minister.
One of the visiting Chief Justices, Gambia’s Hon. Justice Boubacar Jallow, described shipping as an indispensable factor, not only for global prosperity, but for global stability as well. In this regard, he added, Nigeria has proved to be a great force for good as far as the Gambia’s growth and progress is concerned, as she has provided numerous educational opportunities for Gambians in her higher institutions, as well as providing high-level judicial manpower for Gambia’s courts at various levels. Justice Jallow used the opportunity to appeal for the deployment of a number of additional Nigerian judges to his country.
His views were echoed somewhat by his Sierra Leonean counterpart, Hon. Justice Abdullahi Charm, who was on his first such mission in Nigeria. Trade, he said, comes inevitably with disputes and sometimes, conflict, hence the need for an effective mechanism that adjudicates these disputes in a fair, efficient and timely manner.
On his part, Hon. Justice Nasiru Sulemana Gbadegbe, the representative of Ghana’s Chief Justice (Hon. Justice Sophia Akuffo) said that beyond setting up a strong and effective framework for resolving maritime disputes, seminars such as this would also go a long way to deepen constitutionalism, the rule of law and, ultimately, democracy itself.
Declaring the seminar officially open, Hon. Justice Onnoghen, GCFR, expressed his satisfaction with the expansion of this year’s seminar curriculum to include a whole range of new topics – a reflection, he said, of the increasing scope of the sector, as well as increasing interest on the part of judges and other stakeholders. Technology, he added, has further widened the scope of the sector, and advised the organizers to ensure that dispute resolution mechanisms other than litigation (such as ADR) were accorded their pride of place during the seminar.
The CJN’s address was followed by the formal presentation of a book on maritime law, as reviewed by a lawyer, Mr. Uwe Akan. The chief launcher, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, GCON, was represented at the event by Alhaji Mansur Ahmed, an executive with the Dangote Group.
In his vote of thanks, the executive secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Mr. Hassan Bello, FCIArb, who praised Hon. Justice Onnoghen’s passion and enthusiasm for the continuing education of legal practitioners – whether on the bench or at the bar – and his repeated demonstrations of his high regard for lawyers. Thanks to the CJN’s progressive disposition, Bello continued, his tenure has witnessed many judicial landmarks. Bello also praised Justices Bulkachuwa and Bozimo for their commitment to the betterment of the judiciary in the service of the development of the country. He also paid tribute to his predecessors at the helm of the NSC, who, he said, set it on a high footing – a proud legacy which he was determined to build upon. Turning to the motives of the seminar series as championed by his agency, Bello expressed confidence that the 2018 edition would generate new laws, as well as bring about the unification of statutes governing maritime trade across the sub-region, and called for trade among African nations and societies (especially in the maritime sector) should be made as seamless as possible.
An agency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the NSC has, since its inception in 1978, carried out its responsibility of protecting the interest of Nigerian Shippers, providing adequate and up-to-date trade information to the Nigerian shipper, as well as to the international business and shipping communities – and to prevent a return to a period characterized by deterioration in the quality of shipping services and unmitigated increases in ocean freight rates by foreign ship owners who operated scheduled liner services to Nigerian ports. The Council also negotiates with shipping lines, ship-owners, the Nigerian Ports Authority, other port operators and any other relevant agencies offering ancillary shipping services on issues affecting shippers. Apart from representing Nigeria’s shippers in International shipping and trade related forums and organizations such as International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nation Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) and the Union of African Shippers’ Councils (UASC), among others including local bodies, the Council supports Shippers’ Associations nationwide through the provision of secretariats and other services to ensure their functionality. This is all in line with NSC’s stated mission, namely, to ensure seamless, efficient and cost effective shipment of goods in consonance with acceptable international standards, and its vision, which is to become the nation’s reference point in trade facilitation.
Following a brief interval in which delegates adjourned for tea, the business end of the seminar began in earnest – with an opening session titled, ‘Introduction to Maritime Law.’ Chaired by a Justice of the Supreme Court, Hon. Justice Saminu Sanusi, OFR, the lecture was presented by no other than the host and executive secretary of the
Also Read: Commencement of Registration Nigerian Bar Association 2018 Annual General Conference/
NSC, Barrister Hassan Bello, who took the audience down memory lane as he recounted the rich history and evolution of maritime – from the Code of Hammurabi in ancient Babylon to the present day, including Islamic contribution to maritime jurisprudence through the ages. Bello defined a number of terms common in admiralty and maritime law and also debunked a number of commonly-held notions.
Following Bello’s lecture, a commentary was given on some of the salient points highlighted in the lecture by Hon. Justice I. N. Buba, a Judge of the federal high court in Lagos, after which a number of delegates asked questions or raised concerns concerning a number of issues, especially to do with the prompt dispensation of justice within the sector.
The second lecture of the day, which was titled, ‘The Draft Convention on Recognition of Foreign Judicial Sale of Ships: Nigeria’s Position’, was chaired by Hon. Justice Abubakar Yahaya of the Court Of Appeal in Abuja (who sat in place of the court’s President, the Hon. Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa), and delivered by a legal practitioner, Mrs. Jean Chiazor Anishere, the principal partner at the law form of Ofianyi Chambers. Her presentation, which explored the legality or otherwise of sales of ships that had been apprehended for whatever reasons, provoked a torrent of reactions, in the form of questions, suggestions and clarifications from the delegates after a commentary was given on the lecture by Mr. Chikwendu Madumere, also a legal practitioner and principal partner at the law firm of Madumere & Madumere, who concluded his commentary by calling on the Nigerian government to ratify the relevant convention on the judicial sale of ships as a matter of urgency.
The three-day seminar continues today, July 4, 2018, with two more papers – the first of which is titled, ‘Applicability of International Treaties to Nigerian Laws,’ while the second is ‘Piracy & Armed Robbery at Sea: Issues of Legal Interpretation & Judicial Application.’
See Photos below:
Subscribe for your copy/copies now
Do you need to be heard? Or your articles published? Send your views, messages, articles or press release to: newswiremagazine@yahoo.co.uk >>> We can cover your (LAW) events at the first Call: 08039218044, 08024004726
-Advertisement-
Grab our latest Magazine, "Chief Wole Olanipekun, CFR, SAN, A man of wide horizons and deep intentions". Get your order fast and stress free.
For more details about Newswire Law&Events Magazine, kindly reach out to us on 08039218044, 09070309355. Email: newswiremagazine@yahoo.co.uk. You will be glad you did
