Author: Saint Augustine

…Wants electronic voting for party primaries The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has called on Nigerians, including civil servants to register with the political parties of their choice to improve the quality of governance in the country. He also advocated the use of electronic voting in the conduct of party primaries to make them more transparent and credible. Ekweremadu made the calls at the launch of the “Responsive Political Party Programme in Nigeria” by the International Republican Institute (IRI) in Abuja, Tuesday night. He said since the Constitution did not permit independent candidacy yet, the political parties were…

… Says agency committed to continuous collaboration to grow maritime The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside has stated that the agency is taking deliberate steps to work with the Judiciary and other arms of government to reposition Nigeria’s maritime industry, by providing necessary updates on information and law in the maritime sector. Speaking at the opening of the 7th Strategic Admiralty Law Seminal for Judges with the theme “ Towards effective Admiralty in a Blue Economy” organised jointly by NIMASA and the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) which held…

… As agency awards its staff to promote professionalism In recognition of the numerous contributions of stakeholders to the growth and development of the maritime sector in Nigeria, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) bestowed awards on outstanding maritime companies; Maersk Nigeria Limited, Gulf Agency Company (GAC) Nigeria Ltd, Charkins Maritime and Offshore Safety Centre among others, alongside some Staff of the agency who have demonstrated commitment to the sector over the years. According to the Director General of the agency, Dr. Dakuku Peterside the awards were to identify and encourage industry players who had distinguished themselves and…

…Calls for trade compliance The leadership of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has drawn the attention of all freight forwarders and NAGAFF members in particular to the emergence and operations of the new Special Force of the Comptroller General of Customs. named CGC Strike-Force. It is on record that before this time, the CGC compliance team as an adhoc intervention force was charged with the responsibility, amongst others, to ensure due compliance to import and export regulations on matters of Customs formalities. Having achieved the objective of creating a high level of awareness as to the…

Following a recent directive from the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), the Nigerian Ports Authority has disclosed that only eight federal government agencies are allowed to operate and have physical representation at all port locations in the country. The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) had earlier directed the Nigerian Ports Authority to ensure strict compliance to the 26th October, 2011 presidential directive on agencies permitted to operate in the port locations. According to a statement issued in Lagos by the General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications NPA, Abdullahi Goje, the agencies permitted to operate and have physical representation…

In a bid to finding a lasting solution to cost of doing business at the nation’s seaports and vessel diversion to neighbouring countries’ ports, the Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN) is set to hold a summit on port charges. SCAN is a body of journalists with Nigerian daily newspapers reporting the day to day activities in the nation’s maritime sector. In a press statement made available by the President of the group, Yusuf Babalola, the summit tagged, “Port Charges: How Plausible?” which Is expected to hold on the 15th March, 2018 in Lagos is to find solutions to myriad…

Contrary to media reports that the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has suspended the operations of the MSC shipping line for lack of holding bay, the management of the shipping line has said that its operations were not suspended by the NPA. It will be recalled that the Managing Director of NPA, Ms Hadiza Bala Usman, last Friday told this medium and other media outlets that the MSC shipping and one other were sanctioned for not having any hold in bay. But in a release in Lagos Tuesday, the Logistics Manager of MSC, Kehinde Iyawun disclosed that the shipping line had…

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms Hadiza Bala Usman last Friday said that the agency will begin to sanction any shipping company who fails to provide empty container holding bay for use by stakeholders within the next seven days. Usman who made this disclosure at a two-day stakeholders’ meeting held in Lagos, also said that the agency would equally commence sanction within seven days for any terminal operator that was conniving with shipping companies to provide an avenue for huge amount of demurrage within the ports. The MD who was emphatic on the defiant attitude in…

Determined to enthrone effective and efficient waterways transport so as to encourage maximum patronage of the sector by the residents of the state, the Lagos State Government has engaged the services of Data Home Research and Communications Limited. The Consulting firm is to provide a focused discussion on water transport in Lagos on behalf of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) as well as turn in report that will engineer action from the state government to put in place proper system in the water transport since the incumbent governor, Akinwumi Ambode wants to promote the usage of the water transport…

The leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has commended the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike and his Ekiti State counterpart, Ayo Fayose for visiting Benue State and extending assistance to the victims of recent violent attacks and other internally displaced persons in the state. The party’s leadership which had earlier visited Benue at the wake of the attacks, said the gesture by the two Governors at a time the Presidency and the Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had been turning blind eye to the sufferings of the victims, underlines PDP’s commitment to the…