Author: Saint Augustine

President Goodluck Jonathan has commissioned two Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) and six 68-seater passenger coaches, all air-conditioned, acquired by the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) from China, as part of infrastructure meant to enhance the revitalization of the railway system. Vice President, Namadi Sambo, represented President Jonathan at the event. “This is another manifestation of the current government’s sincere commitment to the development of railway in the country,” he said yesterday at the Iddo, Lagos Terminal. The president further stressed that the railway remained top of his administration. According to the NRC managing director, Adeseyi Sijuwade, the new railway vehicles meant…

The Federal Government has been called upon to adopt a more broad based measures aimed at curbing the incidences of piracy on the Nigerian waters. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 13th Maritime Seminar for Judges which opened at the Sheraton Hotels, Abuja on Tuesday, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Aloma Maryam Muktar stressed that the authorities must go “beyond shooting guns”, for the war against piracy to be won. Muktar noted that there was so much the country could tap from the Maritime sector, if the endowments therein were fully harnessed. “There have been incessant reports of pirate…

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has said that the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, Mallam Habib Abdullahi has assured Port users and other stakeholders in the maritime industry that the Authority is fully prepared to combat any emergencies and disasters that may occur at any of the nation’s seaports. According to a statement by the Assistant General Manager, Public Affairs, NPA, Musa Iliya, Mallam Habib Abdullahi gave the assurance Tuesday in Lagos while receiving members of the House of Representative Committee on Emergencies and Disaster Preparedness, who paid him a courtesy visit. Represented by the Executive Director Marine and…

Following the ouster of the former service providers and the subsequent takeover of the Destination Inspection Scheme by the Nigeria customs Service, stakeholders in the Maritime industry are now divided over the sustenance or otherwise of the 1 Percent Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS) earlier collected by the former service providers. A cross section of port operators interviewed on the matter by Primetime Reporters was divided in their opinion as some were of the opinion that the money should be jettisoned now that the service providers for whom the money was meant were gone while others were of the opinion…

The Assistant Fire Officer of the Lagos Ports Complex of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr. Adebayo Afolabi has urged staff, visitors and contractors in the Lagos port complex to raise alarm whenever fire breaks in the complex. Afolabi who was speaking after a fire drill exercise at the complex said the fire drill was done to imbibe alertness in the mind of the people at the complex. “What we have done is to enable us know the escape route should there be fire incident, for them to know what to do during the time of emergency. He however warned…

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) said it has launched its satellite surveillance system, which in conjunction with the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Air Force, has successfully rescued Ghanaian Fishing Vessel Marine 711 from suspected hijackers last Thursday. NIMASA in press release it issued over the weekend stated that the Ghanaian registered vessel was reportedly hijacked off the coast of Ghana and sailed across Togo and Benin Republic to Nigerian waters when the Embassy of the Republic of Korea contacted the Agency to help rescue the vessel, which is owned by its national. The Ghanaian Fisheries Authority…

The Founder, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Boniface Aniebonam has identified the lack of respect to the rules and regulations by the citizens of this  country as the problem with Nigeria. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected officers of the association in Lagos last weekend, Dr. Aniebonam stated that for Nigeria to move forward, her citizens must learn to obey the laws of the land adding that it is only when this is done would the nation leave in peace. While admonishing the freight forwarder, importers and other ports users to imbibe the…

The New Nigerian Peoples’ Party (NNPP) has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to employ the use of diplomacy and tactics to secure the release of over 200 girls of the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Bornu State abducted by the Boko Haram insurgents on the 14th day of April 2014. This was contained in an open letter to President Goodluck Jonathan tagged,” Message of hope and Solidarity to Mr. President and the People of Nigeria on the  occasion  of the 15th Anniversary of Unbroken  Democracy in Nigeria”, which was signed by the National Secretary of the party, Mr. Major Agbo and …

The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) on Wednesday said that it would present a position paper to the Federal government on the new auto policy recently implemented by the Nigeria Customs Service with a view to drawing the attention of the government on the negative impact of the new policy on Nigerians. This was part of the decisions taken at the end of the National Executive Committee Meeting of the association held in Lagos on Wednesday. The meeting which had in attendance, all the chapter executives of the association weighed very critically, the federal government’s policy on vehicle…

The Federal government has been called upon to consider re-introducing the pre- shipment inspection of cargoes destined for Nigeria in order to curb delays being witnessed at the various ports in the country. This was the views of the stakeholders at a one day National Dialogue on “Unlocking Shipping Gridlock at the Ports: Stakeholders Initiative”, organized by the Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) in Lagos Tuesday. Speaking at the event, a Cargo Surveyor and Chief Executive Officer, Intrass Nigeria Limited, Mr. Femi Awogbade suggested that cargoes be inspected from their countries of origin before…