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Consultant Decries Lack Of Transport Policy

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13 years ago

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A transport Consultant, Mr Alban Igwe, has decried the lack of a transport policy to guide developments in the sector.

Igwe, was guest speaker at the 5th Anniversary/Award ceremony of Transquest Media Concept, Publishers of Tranquest Magazine, held in Lagos on Saturday.

Presenting a paper on the theme: “Developing Nigeria’s Transport Sector through Public Private Partnership”, he said that the absence of a transport policy would make it difficult for the maritime sector to operate a sustainable PPP.

“Nigeria has no transport policy to guide developments without which there can be no PPP; we need to go back to the drawing board, and ask ourselves if it is a good idea to start PPP; is there any guarantee of sustainability?”

Igwe, who is also the Director, Education and Research of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), said that the major goal of the sector in Nigeria should be to develop a responsive and safe transport system for the public.

He also decried the lack of professionalism in the transport industry, adding that the PPP should actually be four P’s including Professionalism.

“PPP may be desirable as an efficient transport paradigm but there is a missing P—Public Professional Private Partnership. This will ensure sustainability.

“Do we have transport policy analysts? do we have transport sector professionals being used in this sector? how long will we pay money to foreigners to take away, yet we say that we are doing PPP?” Igwe asked.

He urged the government to focus on building human capital to fast track the development of the transport sector.

The director said that a transport master plan was necessary for effective and efficient integrated system.

Also speaking, the General Manager, Nigerian Ports Authority, Mr Michael Ajayi, urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to prevail on banks to begin 24-hour banking.

He said this would ensure the success of the 24-hour payment for goods at the Lagos Ports.

In his remark, Mr Bamidele Akande, the Area controller of the Ogun Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), said that the service was prepared to deal with any unscrupulous importer who would want to compromise the integrity of the ports.

Akande said that the service had trained and retrained officers and fine-tuned their operations at the ports and had sufficient capacity to deal with all unwholesome elements.

Our correspondent reports that some individuals who received awards at the ceremony included the Director-General of NIMASA, Mr Patrick Akpobolokemi; the Managing Director of NPA, Engr. Omar Suleiman, and the Director-General, Nigeria Institute of Transport Technology, Alhaji Aminu Yusuf.

Others are the Rector of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) and Mr Joshua Okpo, General Manager, Western Ports of the NPA, Malam Bulangu, among others.

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NPA Assures On Staff Welfare 

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2 weeks ago

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June 27, 2025

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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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2 weeks ago

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June 27, 2025

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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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2 weeks ago

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June 27, 2025

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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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