The agreement was reached in Abuja during a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof. Julius Okojie, by the Executive Secretary of the NSC, Mr. Hassan Bello. According to Bello, the dearth of legal practitioners and judges who are knowledgeable in Maritime Law continues to hinder the adjudication of maritime cases in the country. He said that the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) directed the council to collaborate with NUC in introducing the basics of Maritime Law in curricula 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 undergraduate 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 had 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 found solace in the papers that were presented at the past seminars in determining complex maritime cases,” the executive secretary was quoted as saying. Bello 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 was quoted as saying. Bello said that the importance of the maritime sector to the development of national economy could not be over-emphasised as it contributed a lot to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and created employment. He said that if properly harnessed, the sector was a veritable source of economic sustenance and diversification, adding that most countries derived 90 percent of their revenue from the sector. Responding, Okojie said that the NUC and the council would set a committee to work out the modalities as fast as possible. He urged the council to do its survey and work toward capacity building in the area of manpower. Okojie immediately nominated some staff of the commission that would be members of the joint committee on introduction of course in Nigerian universities and urged the council to do same. “It is not something that will be difficult; we will proceed quickly. “It will be a course that could become a specialised area. “We will introduce it and it will run concurrently with the post-graduate level,” Okojie was quoted as saying.]]>