By Michael Agbaji
The Executive Secretary/CEO of the Nigeria Shippers Council, Barrister Akutah Pius, has stated that the 17th International Maritime Seminar for Judges, organised by the council in collaboration with the National Judicial Institute (NJI), aims to promote alternative dispute resolution in the maritime sector.
Speaking on the TVC programme “Business Nigeria,” Akutah emphasized that the Nigerian justice system strongly advocates for alternative dispute resolution to ensure quick resolution of disputes, particularly in commercial cases as in the maritime sector.
He explained that prolonging commercial disputes in court has a negative impact on the economy, and therefore, promoting alternative dispute resolution is crucial for economic stability.
Akutah also highlighted the council’s efforts to encourage the use of alternative dispute resolution to foster harmonious relationships among stakeholders in the maritime sector, minimising the acrimony that often accompanies court resolutions.
He said, “The Nigerian justice system has advocated strongly for alternative dispute resolution to reduce the pressure on the court and to ensure that disputes are quickly resolved between parties, particularly commercial disputes as in the case in this sector.
“The more time commercial disputes are wasted in the court will impact ultimately the economy because commercial disputes that are prolonged are not good for business and the economy. Therefore, we try to use ADR to resolve issues between players in the maritime sector to quickly move forward so that they can work together as a team without the acrimony that usually court resolutions would bring.
“To that effect, we have decided to partner with the NJI under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy which now supervises the activities of the Nigeria Shippers Council to see how this programme, which has been ongoing for over 30 years will impact positively on the way maritime disputes are resolved. So that we do not waste time in dealing with disputes in the maritime sector but quickly resolve them to move on so that the business environment would be safe and free of acrimony for the players.”
The 17th edition of the International Maritime Seminar for Judges is holding in Abuja from Tuesday 9th – Thursday 11th July, 2024.
