Author: Saint Augustine

Mr. David Pius is the former Public Relations Officer of a Maritime activists group, Save Nigeria Freight Forwarders, Importers and Exporters Coalition (SNIFFIEC) as well the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Uburu Maritime Limited. In this interview with our correspondent, NWADINAMUO AUGUSTINE, he assessed the Mraritime sector in the last six months, capacity building in the maritime sector, the Apapa gridlock an many more. Excerpts; How would you assess the maritime sector in the last six months? My assessment of the industry is that of 30 percent performance. This is so because we are not there yet, we are…

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and safety Agency (NIMASA) has assured the international community as well as all other stakeholders doing business on the Nigerian waters of their safety as well as that  of their investments. The Director General of NIMASA, Mr. Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi who made this known in a World Press Conference he addressed in Lagos last week stated that the agency, aware of the fact that safety of lives and properties were of significant prerequisite for the growth and investment of any society, had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian air…

…tasks indigenous  shipowners on specialized vessels Following the persistent calls by the indigenous shipowners under the auspices of the Nigerian Shipowners Association (NISA) and other  relevant stakeholders that the waiver regime be removed from  the Cabotage Act to give room for full participation of the indigenous people in the shipping sector, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has given reasons why it may not be possible to remove waiver presently. Speaking on the sideline of the World Press Conference organized by NIMASA in Lagos last week, the Executive Director, Maritime Safety and Shipping Development, NIMASA, Capt. Ezekiel Bala…

The calls by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to adopt the 1% Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS) previously collected by the outgone Service Providers and which is currently being collected by NCS has received a boost recently. This was as the Founder, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Boniface Aniebonam has called for more government funding to the service to enable it meet up with its challenges. In a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by the Senior Special Assistant and Deputy National President (Seaport), Prince Obums Anene, Aniebonam contended that the Nigeria Customs Service cannot be…

The Rector , Certified Institute of Shipping (CIS), Rev. Dr. Alex Okwuashi has said that the institution as an academic institution accredited by the relevant bodies in the Federal Ministry of  Education did not require any accreditation from the Nigerian maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to run its programme. The statement came on the heels of the Marine Notice issued on Monday by NIMASA where it said that it  would not recognize certificates issued by any of the private maritime academies it did not accredit. NIMASA in the notice went on to list the names of the Maritime training…

The Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) has absolved its members of complicity in the gridlock currently being witnessed on all the access roads to the seaports in Lagos State. Speaking to newsmen in Lagos recently, the Chairman of AMATO, Chief Remi Ogungbemi described as unfortunate, the situation where the truckers were being blamed for the gridlock that seemed to have defied every possible solution. Chief Ogungbemi however blamed the problem on the era of the port reforms and port concessioning where he blamed the government as well as those who supervised the concessioning exercise for not carrying the truckers…

By Monday Japhet Emo Politics like liqueur sips into our veins in tiny droplets and takes control of our thinking faculties then it takes charge of the mouth and the control is absolute. Politicians know this very well that is the major reason they fight for our hearts through vile propaganda and coin all sorts of phrases to get the attention of the masses. This theory was propounded by a brilliant professor of political and analytical science (political science, forget the fancy name), while we were sipping Tombo (palm wine) in a shack in Osun State.As he took us through…

… trains over 2,500 seafarers in 5 years The Nigerian Indigenous Shipowners Association (NISA)’s dream of floating a National Carrier Line on Wednesday received a boost as the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) said that there could be more than one National Carrier in the Nigeria’s Shipping industry. The Director General of NIMASA, Mr. Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi who made this known while addressing a World Press Conference in Lagos also assured that  no one who met the requirements for floating a National Carrier would not be discriminated against. Represented by the Executive Director Shipping Services in NIMASA, Capt.…

The Registrar, Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), Sir Mike Jukwe has lauded the ruling of the Federal High Court sitting Lagos and which was presided over by Justice Saliu Saidu which ruled that the council was a government agency as against the argument advanced by the Freight Forwarders that the council was a private one owned by them. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Primetime Reporters via the telephone on Monday, Jukwe stated that  the ruling of the Court had vindicated him and the Honourable Minister of Transport whom he said had maintained that the…

A Federal High court sitting in Lagos had recently ruled that the apex regulatory agency of the freight Forwarding industry in Nigeria, the Council for the Regulation of freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) is a government agency. Two freight forwarders, Messrs Ejike Nweke and Philip Nwankwo had gone to court to seek a declaration of the court that the defendant in this case, CRFFN is not a public Parastatal or government agency in line with paragraph 10 of the 1st schedule to the Council Act. The duo who also were the applicants on the matter also sought an order of…