Author: Saint Augustine

Prof. Vincent Anigbogu is the Director-General, Institute for National Transformation. He was at the Olivet Bible Church Festac town, Lagos recently to join in the celebration of the maiden edition of the Pastoral Appreciation Day of the church. He spoke in an interview with newsmen at the event. Our correspondent was at the event and filed in this piece. Excerpts; Sir, your message during the service dwelt much on the church being the answer to the societal problems. How can the church go about this onerous task? First of all, there are several things that God has to help us.…

The Assistant General Manager Security of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Asamaige Samuel, on Tuesday said leading terminal operator, APM Terminals Apapa Limited, is the most compliant terminal in implementation of the International Ships and Ports Facility Security (ISPS) Code complaint in the country. Samuel made this known at a seminar tagged, ‘Awareness training programme for NPA personnel and stakeholders in the Western Ports.’ He said APM Terminals Apapa is more ISPS Code compliant than port terminals in some developed countries of the world. “I can tell you in confidence that most of our terminals are ISPS compliant. APMT in particular.…

By Eugene Nweke Presently, it is a common knowledge to see the stakeholders operating in the maritime/international trade supply chain (cut across the international frontiers) make or pass one remarks or the other, either in the positive or the negative all in a bid to expressing their feelings or of what they heard concerning the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) regime, even without making further probe or inquiries as to what went wrong. This development becomes obvious, following the noticeable teething problems that confronted the PAAR regime at inception, especially, the associated delays noticed during the processing, issuance of PAAR and…

The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has appealed to the new Area Commander of the Area B Police Command, Lagos to curb the incessant interception of duly cleared and released cargoes from the Apapa Port by men and officers of his command. The National Deputy President of NAGAFF, Barr Fred Akokhia made this appeal in a speech to welcome the new Area Commander who paid a courtesy visit on the association’s headquarters in Lagos Wednesday. Akokhia disclosed that there have been instances where the association had complained about the challenges their members pass through in the hands…

The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) last Monday set up a 3-Man Committee to develop a road map on the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) of the Nigeria Customs Service. The decision was part of the resolutions reached at an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the association held at its new Permanent National Secretariat, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos. The 3-Man Committee according to the release by the Senior Special Assistant to ANLCA President on Media, Joe Sanni and sent to Primetime Reporters via E-mail, the road map so developed by the 3-Man Committee would be discussed…

The Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) has raised alarm over the continuous diversion of ships laden with rice to the ports of neighbouring countries. Chairman of STOAN, Princess (Dr.) Vicky Haastrup, said in Lagos on Tuesday that no fewer than 150 shiploads of rice have been diverted to the ports in Benin Republic, Cameroon, Accra and Togo in the first quarter of this year. She said Nigeria lost about 600,000 metric tonnes of rice between January and March 2014 to the neighbouring ports due to the 110 per cent policy slammed on the commodity by the Federal Government…

The Managing Director of Tin Can Island Container Terminal (TICT), Mr. Yehuda Kotik, on Friday advocated strong cooperation among major players in the service delivery chain at the seaports in Africa as a way of enhancing efficiency. Kotik said this while presenting a paper on Ports and Infrastructure Developments in African Ports at the just concluded 12th Intermodal Africa 2014 exhibition and conference held in Lagos. He identified the ports authority, terminal operators, trucks operators and others are critical stakeholders in the service delivery chain. “The ports authority which is saddled with the responsibility of controlling ports gate and maintaining…

The Director General, Institute for National Transformation, Prof. Vincent Anigbogu has identified the church as the answer to the myriads of problems facing Nigeria as a nation today. Prof. Anigbogu who was speaking in a message entitled,” Understanding the Season of God in this Time”, which he delivered at the Olivet Bible Church, Festac Town, Lagos on Sunday, to mark the maiden edition of the Pastoral Appreciation Day of the church observed that if the church did not take a strategic position, the nation called Nigeria would not exist for long. Prof. Anigbogu whose message for the day was majorly…

A group of maritime reporters, the Maritime Correspondents’ Organization of Nigeria (MARCON) has called on the Federal government not to rescind its policy on the increased tariff on imported rice. MARCON in an open letter it addressed to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a copy of which was obtained by Primetime Reporters observed that any attempt at truncating what it called a laudable economic policy of the government would amount to satisfying the business interests of a few. The group in a letter which was signed by the duo of Ismail Aniemu…

Bolaji Akinola is the spokesman of the AP Moller Terminal, Apapa, Lagos. In this interview with our correspondent, he bares he mind on the new customs examination bay, the new administrative building for the company, the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR), Congestion at the Terminal and many more. Excerpt Your company in the last quarter of 2013 told us that by the end of the first quarter of 2014 that it will deliver a new customs examination bay as well as a new administrative building. We are on the last day of the first quarter of 2014, have you delivered on…