Author: Saint Augustine

By Boniface Aniebonam It is no longer news that the emergence of Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari as the President of Nigeria is an act of God and a measure of earned respect and integrity.  It is also a fact that Mr. President is very much aware of the expectations of the greater number of Nigerians who have suffered for so long due to extreme cases of human rights abuses occasioned by corruption at all levels of Government and public life in Nigeria.  We believe that Mr. President is very much aware that going forward in building a greater Nigeria there is…

The Centre for Marine Surveyors Nigeria has faulted the absence of indigenous companies in the measuring of the Nigeria’s crude oil describing it as a rape of the Nigerian economy by those who carefully orchestrated the development so as to propagate their selfish interests. Speaking at a roundtable organized by the Maritime Correspondents’ Organization of Nigeria (MARCON) in Lagos recently, the President and Chairman, Board of Trustees of the centre, Prince Adebambo Ademiluyi wondered how Nigerians could ever know how much of crude oil that Nigeria had when it was foreigners who buy the crude, owned the vessels as well…

The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has pledged to ensure that the Single Window platform of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) would be effectively operated in Nigeria. The National President of ANLCA, Prince Olayiwola Shittu who made this known while playing host to visiting fact-finding team from Ghana on the operation of the Nigerian Customs Service Single Window platform at the ANLCA National Secretariat in Lagos recently said that this had become imperative owing to the inherent benefits therein for the licensed customs agents and other port users. Shittu pointed out that a situation where one could sit…

The Apapa Area Command of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said it collected N30.1billion into the federation and non-federation accounts in August. The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ekpa said in a statement yesterday that the amount was against N24.5 billion collected in July and the second highest it generated after it recorded N32.4 billion in March. He said the amount collected into the federation account stood at N16. 082 billion while N14.066 billion was collected into the non-federation account. Ekpa said the sum was collected from import duty on wheat grain, rice levy, sugar levy and seven percent port levy…

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has introduced a new measure for revenue leakage blockage tagged Revenue Invoicing Management Systems (RIMS) and is expected to take off in October, 2015. This new measure was put in place in its effort to block revenue leakages and also expected to help the Authority to generate about N55 billion from cargo based revenue from the N40 billion it recorded in 2014. Speaking during the launching of the RIMS in Lagos, Wednesday, the Managing Directorof NPA, Mallam Habib Abdullahi stated that the scheme would allow customers initiate and conclude their business processes with NPA and…

The Federal Ministry of Transport has constituted a committee to carry out verification of all projects currently being executed by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). The committee which has members drawn from the Federal Ministry of Transport, Federal Ministry of Works and the General Services Unit of NIMASA is expected to carry out an evaluation of all projects currently being executed by NIMASA with a view to ascertaining their percentage completion in relation to funds already released. Speaking on the constitution of the committee, the Acting Director General of NIMASA Mr. Haruna Baba Jauro said the evaluation…

Cargo throughput inclusive of crude oil shipments recorded by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in the first quarter of 2015 stood at 49,304,407 metric tonnes, showing an increase of 7.2 per cent over 45,994,755 metric tonnes achieved within the same period of 2014, according to data released by NPA recently. NPA General Manager, Public Affairs, Capt. Iheanacho Ebubeogu gave the breakdown of the cargo throughput as follows: General cargo was 6, 469,022metric tons, an increase of 6.10 per cent over 6,097,318metric tons in the same period of 2014 while dry bulk cargo stood at 2,276,358 metric tonnes Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)…

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has introduced new Seafarer’s Medical Certification Documents in compliance with extant requirements of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 and Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) 1998 as amended. Presenting the documents to stakeholders in Lagos recently, the Acting Director General of NIMASA, Mr. Haruna Baba Jauro stated that the current effort at better compliance was one of the key areas in which the Agency played its role of domesticating International Maritime Laws and Conventions that helped to keep maritime activities and the marine environment safe. The DG who was represented…

The Acting Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr. Haruna Baba Jauro has restated the Agency’s commitment to remove all barriers to seamless facilitation of transit cargo to the Republic of Niger through Nigeria’s seaports. The DG who gave this assurance when the Nigerian/Nigerien Joint Commission on Transit Cargo led by the Director General of the Shippers Council of the Republic of Niger, Mr. Oumarou Issoufou paid a courtesy visit to the Agency in Lagos recently also noted that Nigeria and Niger could work together without barriers to ensure smooth passage of goods between both…