Author: Saint Augustine

The Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association has called on the Federal Government through the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to expedite action towards correcting the anomaly which saw Nigerian Certification bearing the Near Coastal Vessel (NCV) status. The Assistant Secretary of the Association, Aleakhue John Okpono who made this know in an interview with Primetime Reporters in Lagos stated that with the NCV certification, Nigerians would hardly secure major marine jobs which were mainly offshore. He said,” we are saying by implication, somebody looked at it, near coastal certificate; the person will just…

The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi has assured that the funds earmarked to empower Nigerians acquire vessels under the Cabotage Vessel Finance Fund (CVFF) was intact. Akpobolokemi who made this known while interacting with the maritime reporters in Lagos stated that the agency had developed modalities for the collection of the fund and that disbursing banks had also been selected. According to him,” the first recipients have been shortlisted and sent to the Federal Ministry of Transport (FMOT) for approval. We are confident that in due time, the operators would start…

Mr. Emeka Akabogu is an expert in the field of maritime law and policy in Nigeria and is the Principal Partner at the law firm, Akabogu and Associates. He holds a Masters degree specialising in Maritime Laws from the University College London. His book, “Maritime Cabotage in Nigeria”, was the first published work on the subject matter in Nigeria. Mr. Akabogu is the Convener of the globally acclaimed OTL Africa Downstream, a leading initiative for downstream petroleum business in Africa. He is also a strong advocate at the bar and has anchored a string of seminal cases on Marine cargo…

A New Year message from the Governor of Anambra State, His Excellency Chief Willie Obiano January 1, 2015 My dear Ndi Anambra, I bring you warm greetings as we enter into a new year.  We should be grateful, individually and collectively that God saw us through 2014 and ask for Divine guidance in 2015. Fellow citizens, the New Year presents us a chance to look inwards to re-appraise ourselves and look outwards and renew our faith in God. Indeed, it is a time to make resolutions and rededicate ourselves to the values that define us and the challenges and struggles…

The wife of the governor of Anambra State, Chief (Mrs.) Ebelechukwu Obiano has described the birth of the first baby girl in Anambra State in the New Year as a good omen for the people of the state. Chief Mrs Obiano who showered the new born who was delivered at 12am on New Year’s Eve with assorted gifts also observed that women bore good tidings which according to her were an indication of a positive outlook for the state and the people in the New Year. Mrs. Obiano made the observation when she visited the new born on January 1,…

The Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano has assured Ndi Anambra that their hopes and dreams for a prosperous year shall not fall with the falling price of oil in the international market. Delivering his New Year Message to the people titled “Stretching to a New Height of Excellence,” Governor Obiano observed that “the future of any society lies in its capacity to look beyond the darkness and doubts of today and see a glimmer of hope in the shadows of tomorrow.” According to him, though many experts have predicted a tough year for Nigeria in the face of plummeting…

Following the drop in the price of oil in the world market, the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has frowned at calls in some quarters for the Federal Government to increase the revenue targets set for the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and other revenue generating agencies in the coming year to make up for the shortfall in revenue of the country. The Vice Chairman of the association in Apapa, Chief Dom Onyeka who disclosed this in a chat with Primetime Reporters in Lagos described the call as unfortunate and unwarranted. Onyeka regretted that…

The Registrar, Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), Sir Mike Jukwe has explained the reason behind the recent restriction placed on the freight forwarders by the Council against settling disputes amongst them on the media as well as in the court of law. Recall that Primetime Reporters recently reported that CRFFN had restricted freight forwarders from settling disputes on the media and the court rather such disputes should be brought before the Council’s tribunal for amicable resolution. Speaking to journalists in Lagos, Jukwe stated that the idea behind such was to prevent freight forwarders from speaking…

As Nigeria gets set for the 2015 general election, the Senior Pastor, Fire and Power Ministries, Lagos, Rev. Ezekiel Arimobi has warned politicians to avoid making statements capable of robbing off on the achievements so far made since the return to democratic rule in 1999. Arimobi who was speaking on the sideline of the Annual Thanksgiving Service of the Church tagged,” My Neighbour and I” in Lagos on Sunday stated that instead of promoting those things that divides Nigeria, effort should be channeled towards a prosperous nation. “Our minds should be focused on how we should move our nation forward…

In keeping with the Christmas season of love and affection especially for the indigent and less privileged members of the society, the wife of the governor of Anambra State, Chief (Mrs.) Ebelechukwu Obiano embarked on a round of visitation to Prison facilities in Anambra to celebrate the Christmas with inmates and encourage them to change and be reformed. The Prisons visited by the governor’s wife included the Onitsha, Aguata and Amawbia as well as Daughter of Charity Orphanage Home at Fegge, Onitsha. Speaking at each stop during the visitation, Mrs. Obiano told the inmates that as a mother she came…