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Piracy Report Worries Nigerian Shippers

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 Nigerian Maritime operators have expressed worry over the ranking of Nigeria as second only to Somalia on the incidence of sea piracy in the world by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB). The situation has made business very difficult for ship owners as it has resulted to making it expensive for ships to sail to Nigeria.

 Lamenting over the matter, the Managing Director/Chief Executive officer of Jobbi Shipping Company Limited, Job Ekechukwu, told The Tide on Monday in Port Harcourt, that his company had a tough time recently when it went to take delivery of a ship in Europe. They paid through their nose just to secure the services of the European crew that said the ship into Nigeria because the country is regarded as a high – risk area and the crew had to charge outrageous premium to sail to the country, he said.

 He explained that the Europeans did not accept explanations that the report about Nigeria was not as it seems, saying that. “The consequences was that we were blacklisted and that we continue to pay huge amount of money to get a service which could have cost us a fraction of what we paid at that time”.

 Ship owners have argued that the IMB report on Nigeria may not entirely be correct because the incidents on Nigerian waters are just armed robbery and cannot be classified as pirate attacks compared to the cases recorded in Somalia, where pirates hijack ships with sophisticated weapons and demand for ransom running into million of dollar.

 Also most of the cases IMB reports in its piracy reporting center, are robbery attacks against fishing trawler  alleged to be illegal.

 The robbers are allegedly attracted by the huge cash on board the fishing vessels through tip offs by either from the crew or the prostitutes some of the crew or the patronize.

 It would be recalled that in January 2009, 50 cases of attacks against trawler were recorded, resulting in 10 death, incessant attacks caused the Nigerian Trawler Owner Association (NITOA) to call its fleet of over 200 trawlers back to the shore for a period.

 Speaking on the IMB report on Nigeria, Ekechukwu said, “Every time that they say that Nigeria is a country that has high rate of piracy incident, I am absolutely amazed because/used to be a sea farer for so many years. I just wonder what the pirates are looking for because pirates in Somalia are going to hijack  a whole ship, these are proper pirates and then they are going to collect huge amount in ransom but Nigerian pirates, what are they triping to do?, are they going to get a  meal on board or to get a drink? I do not know Nigeria will be treated as such by black listing the country as being second to Somalia on pirate attacks”, he quarried.

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NPA Assures On Staff Welfare 

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The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the management will continue to accompany its port infrastructure  and equipment  modernization drive  with the development of the welfare of its personnel.
Dantsoho made the disclosure recently while responding to the commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASGOC) on the  clearing  of the age-long problem of employee stagnation, when the union paid him a courtesy visit at the Authority’s headquarters in Lagos.
A Statement by NPA’s General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, quoted Dantsoho as saying,  “our Port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive will go hand-in-hand with continuous staff welfare improvement”.
The NPA MD disclosed that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch, adding that “talent development constitutes a critical success factor for the actualization of the big hairy audacious goals we have set for ourselves especially in the area of Port competitiveness.
“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boosting their morale.”
Speaking further, Dantsoho commended the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved the over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.
“I must specially appreciate our amiable Minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly”, he sad.
Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the President  of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Comrade Bodunde stated, “In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

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National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Elder Olumide Fakanlu, has been elected Vice President of the Federation of ECOWAS Licensed Customs Brokers Association (FELCBA).
The election took place during the FELCBA Congress, held from Tuesday, June 17th to Thursday, June 19th, 2025, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Fakanlu’s emergence as Vice President marks a significant achievement for Nigeria within the regional customs brokerage community.
Apart from Fakanlu, Secretary of the Seme Chapter of ANLCA, Austin Nwosu, was also elected, securing the role of Secretary of Relations with Institutions.
The Nigerian delegation played an active role in the congress, with Michael Ebeatu nominated as a member of the electoral officer team, ensuring a fair and transparent election process.
The three-day congress concluded with delegates undertaking a visit to the Sierra Leone Port, offering insights into the host nation’s maritime operations, followed by a recreational trip to the Tokeh Beach.
The newly elected executives are expected to lead FELCBA in its efforts to harmonize customs brokerage practices, promote trade facilitation, and advocate for the interests of licensed customs brokers across the ECOWAS sub-region.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement 

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In a bid to enhance more enforcement in the nation’s Port, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to stronger inter-agency collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The Council said the collaboration is aimed at enhancing stronger enforcement, compliance and improve operational efficiency across Nigeria’s ports.
Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of  NSC, Dr. Pius Akutah, made this known during a visit to the  Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The visit, which he said, focused on strengthening institutional synergy, comes in the wake of growing responsibilities for the NSC under the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Akutah emphasized the critical role of security agencies in supporting port operations and ensuring regulatory compliance.
He called for the posting of police officers to assist the Council’s monitoring and enforcement teams at key port locations including Lagos, Warri, Onne, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.
“The posting will complement the activities of our revived task teams and enhance our ability to enforce standards across the maritime logistics chain”, he said.
Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Egbetokun, assured the Council of the Force’s readiness to continue supporting the growth of the maritime sector.
The IGP acknowledged that compliance enforcement is essential to the successful implementation of Nigeria’s Blue Economy objectives.
“The NSC and NPF are expected to deepen collaboration in the months ahead, with a shared focus on building a secure, efficient, and competitive port environment”, to the IGP emphasized.
Chinedu Wosu
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