Author: Saint Augustine

…Matching Intellectual Property thoughts with Evidence-Based Scorecard By Enyi Ejike-Umunnabuike Jr. Going by the understanding of the international development institutions, such as the World Bank, African Development Bank, AfDB and significant other global agencies, Development administration is not only the core of any nation’s public service structure but includes such other segments of productive engagements that are private sector-driven. At least, this much was explained and given credence to in an exclusive interview this reporter had with Ajay Banga, the President of the World Bank during his first ever visit to Nigeria in August 2023. During the said state visit…

Stakeholders in Nigeria’s Maritime industry, on Wednesday August 28, 2024, gathered at Radisson Blu Hotel in Lagos to chat a way forward towards the revival of the annual international conference and exhibition, Nigerian Maritime Expo, NIMAREX. President, Nigeria Ship Owners’ Association of Nigeria, NISA and converner of Nimarex 2024, Otunba Sola Adewunmi in his welcome address at the inaugural meeting, called for Government/private partnership, synergy and collaboration of all stakeholders to bring back NIMAREX which he described as Africa’s biggest maritime event. “As we embark on this new chapter, it is crucial that we all recognise NIMAREX as our event…

Edo elders, on Tuesday, outlined the priorities of the All Progressives Congress, APC governorship candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo. “We need a governor who cares about public education, health and the environment. We need a governor who cares about women, youths and elderly. Senator Monday Okpebholo understands Edo voters’ economic struggles and will work every day to make our state a better place to live. We are going to make sure that he is elected governor. We shall make the APC governorship candidate to succeed. This is the project of the Edo people. God willing, we shall succeed”, the elders stated.…

Determined to entrench transparency and accountability in tax collection processes and operations at the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, the Chairman, Zacch Adedeji, has constituted a 12-member Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit, ACTU with the mandate to ensure zero tolerance for unethical acts and corruption within the revenue-collecting agency. The body, which is to collaborate with anti-graft agencies, was inaugurated by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC at the Revenue House in Abuja on Tuesday. Speaking at the event, Adedeji who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr. Tayo Koleosho, urged the newly inducted members of…

Quality Education is captured as United Nations Goal 4 as a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) and Target 4.5 specifically aims to “by 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations.” A visit to Alabarago lepers’ community recently by Mass Communication scholars from the University of Lagos, UNILAG underline the neglect of SDG 4 highlighted by one of the community Chiefs, Mr. Umar Abdullahi as one of the biggest problems in the urban slum. As Sydney Badeau…

…Seeks regular Stevedores training, handling equipment upgrades at Nigerian Ports A prominent player in Nigeria’s maritime industry, P&H Nova Group has called for the construction of more deep seaports across the country to decentralize maritime activities from Lagos and stimulate economic growth in other regions. Prince Hillary Anekwe, Chairman of P&H Nova Development and Procurement Limited who made this call during a media interaction at the end of a staff training program on Monday, titled, “Effective Maritime Personnel Operations Workshop”, held at the company’s office in Victoria Island, Lagos, noted that the country’s ports often lack the depth to accommodate…

The House of Representatives Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation has assured port stakeholders of the readiness of the committee to collaborate with the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, to resolve the port concession agreement renewal. This assurance was given during the committee’s oversight visit to the terminal of Ports & Cargo Handling Services Limited, a subsidiary of SIFAX Group, at the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos. According to Engineer Hamisu Ibrahim Chidari, the Committee’s Chairman, the House of Representatives has given the committee a mandate to ensure that all the federal government’s concessioned assets are performing…

The Minister for Marine and Blue Economy, Hon. Adegboyega Oyetola CON, has advised the freight forwarding associations in Nigeria to merge to form a single group in a bid to actively push for their professional goals. Oyetola, was speaking at the closing ceremony of a 2-day training exercise for freight forwarders in Lagos, organized by the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, CRFFN recently. Despite having five CRFFN accredited freight forwarding associations namely: the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, NAGAFF, National Association of Air Freight Forwarders and Consolidators,…

…Exonerates NDLEA, FPIS, MAERSK from dispute …As ICNL pleads for review of percentage The Nigerian Shippers’ Council, NSC has resolved a complaint over two damaged export containers of Black Eye Beans to Jebel Ali Port, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, shipped from Kaduna Inland Dry Port, KIDP by USBAB MULTI CHOICE Limited (Exporter) who attributed the damage to the delay allegedly caused by Inland container Nigeria Limited, ICNL (forwarding agent) and MAERSK Nigeria Limited (carrier). In a letter of complaint received via the Council’s Office in Kaduna, the Managing Director of USBAB MULTI CHOICE Limited, Mr. Usman Baba Ahmad stated that…

In furtherance of its mandate to train and educate the freight forwarding profession in Nigeria, the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, CRFFN, on Friday, began a two day training programme for select freight forwarders in Lagos. The training themed, “Optimizing Nigeria’s Blue Economy Potentials Through Logistics Performance”, was put together for 20 selected members of the five CRFFN accredited freight forwarding associations namely: the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, NAGAFF, National Association of Air Freight Forwarders and Consolidators, NAFFAC, Association of Registered Freight Forwarders Nigeria, AREFFN and…