Author: Saint Augustine

Chief Remi Ogungbemi is the Chairman, Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO). In this interview with our correspondent, he bared his mind on the operational challenges of members, the infrastructural decay in the maritime industry, the Apapa gridlock and many more. Excerpt: Sir, there are insinuations in some quarters that  your association is contemplating withdrawing their services at the end of a yet to be scheduled town hall meeting with other stakeholders in the maritime industry over the state of the port access roads. How true is that? Well, the traffic situation within the port environment has become recurrent problem…

By Monday Japhet Em Drunkards are adepts at the esoteric science of political star gazing. The predictions though not made public but widely circulated around beer parlours and other places the elixir of life are consumed was that the people of Ekiti state will show their sophistry in the selection of the man most suited to lead the state reputed to be blessed with some of the best brains in the vestiges of educational accomplishments in Nigeria. Drunkards Without Borders maintained a studied silence to enforce our avowed mantra of non-partisanship, we therefore watched as the campaigns heated up to…

The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has blamed the problems facing the Nigerian maritime industry on the inability of the Federal government to play its own r part  of the  bargain as contained in the concession agreement. Speaking in an interview with newsmen in Lagos, the National President of ANLCA, Prince Olayiwola Shittu observed that the concessionaires were yet to hit the ground rolling six years after the ports were concessioned because the government reneged in its responsibility. Shittu added that if the concessionaires had be given adequate support and that if the government had monitored their level…

Following the traffic gridlock presently being witnessed at the ports access roads at Apapa which keep commuters for hours on the roads, the Zonal Coordinator of Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service, ACG Victor Gbemudu has called on the licensed Customs Agents as well as the importers to take advantage of the trade hub portal and other electronic platforms put in place by the Service to make their dealings with the service easier and convenient for them. Gbemudu who was speaking in an interview with newsmen in Lagos stated that the agents as well as the importers no longer…

The Nasarawa State House of Assembly has commenced impeachment proceedings on Governor Umaru Al-Makura. “The Assembly on Monday directed its Clerk, Ego Maikeffi, to serve Mr. Al-Makura with the impeachment notice for alleged gross misconduct and misappropriation of funds,” reports Premium Times. “The notice was signed by 20 of the 24 lawmakers in the state during a sitting presided over by the Speaker, Ahmed Mohammed.” According to the Abuja-based online paper, “The 16-count charge borders on alleged extra-budgetary expenses by the governor. Nasarawa has 20 Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, lawmakers and 4 All Progressives Congress, APC, lawmakers. The governor is…

ByEugene Nweke   Our attention has been drawn to a rejoinder (paid publication) by the National    Automotive Council – NAC on page 66 of The Guardian on Wednesday July, 9th 2014, signed by its Director General, Eng. Aminu Jalal.   It is pertinent to note that all the efforts made to convince Nigerians on the critical economic Implication of the policy on an average Nigerian, in all emphasis expressed in the said publication remain a statistical propaganda, not rooted in any empirical statistics. Rather it was characterized by propaganda phrases such as: ” would be put in place” which is synominous…

Barr. Hassan Bello is the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian shippers’ Council (NSC). At  a colloquium to mark the 70th birthday anniversary of the former Managing Director Of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Chief Adebayo Babatunde Sarumi last week in Lagos, he spoke to some selected  journalists on issues bothering on the achievements of Chief Sarumi, the Traffic gridlock in Apapa, the regulatory  roles of the council and  lots more. Our correspondent was  there. Excerpt; Seventy years of his existence on this planet earth, what do you have to say about Chief Adebayo Babtunde Sarumi? I think it…

Being a full text of the mid year  news release of Comptroller Willy Egbudin, Customs Area Controller (CAC), Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service. Gentlemen of the Press, 1.The year 2014, for us as customs operatives in Nigeria’s busiest land  frontier,is a year with unique challenges as novel innovations and trade improving techniques aimed at achieving government objectives are practically brought to the fore. Relying on the core objectives of the Customs Service, this news release will be aimed at intimating you about our activities in the past six months. 2.  In my maiden address to the officers…

By  Dr. Eugene Nweke ” In an evaluation issued in 2007, the World Bank in its assistance efforts to the Agricultural development in Sub Africa, for the first time admitted that it should not have advised African governments to withdraw support from their farming sectors in 1980’s  and 1990’s. World Bank wrongly expected that the private sectors would provide necessary support; when that didn’t happen, farmers were devastated, marking the beginning of an  endless economic crises in most  African Countries till date.. .”  ” In most reforming countries, the private sector did not step in to fill the vacuum when…

SIR MIKE IYORCHIR OGWU JUKWE is the pioneer Registrar/Chief Executive of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) from 1st December, 2009 to date. The Council is a regulatory agency responsible for regulating and controlling freight forwarding in Nigeria under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Transport.  Fwdr. Sir Mike Jukwe was born on 2nd September, 1958 in Makurdi, Benue State, he hails from the Etulo tribe in Etulo District of Buruku Local Government Area, Benue State. He is married to Dame Felicia Mngunengen Jukwe, KSS with two children, a boy (Mike Jnr) and a…