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Minister Wants Foreign Missions To Attract Investments

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Foreign Affairs Minister, Amb. Olugbenga Ashiru, has said that attraction of foreign investments, skills and technology must be given top priority by Heads of Nigeria Missions abroad.

Ashiru told the Heads of Nigeria Missions in the Southern Africa countries at the signing of the performance contract in Pretoria, South Africa on Friday that the Heads of Missions should justify the trust reposed on them by Nigeria.

“As I have said before, any officer who is either unable or unwilling to live up to the highest standard of professionalism and efficiency service delivery will henceforth find it difficult to operate in the new environment that we seek to create.

“Promotion and welfare of Nigerians must be accorded top priority, with unflinching support and understanding of Mr. President.

“The Nigerian government is determined to provide the right environment, including the provision of requisite resources that will enable Nigeria Mission abroad better delivery on government transformation agenda,’’ Ashiru said.

He said the signing of the performance contract with him by the Heads of Missions was in line with the new policy and practice of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“Among other things, the performance contract process, an innovative management practice, is intended to foster accountability in service delivery and cost-effectiveness in the conduct of government business in Nigeria.

“ Under the scheme, public servants are expected to be better focused in the discharge of assigned tasks with specific target and timeliness that can be regularly evaluated and measured against overall government policies and objectives,’’ he said.

He said it was no longer valid argument in the foreign ministry that the outputs were intangible and hardly susceptible to performance evaluation and measurement.

“To change this norm and in tandem with the vision of Mr. President, I have sought to deploy foreign policy as an instrument of economic development in a manner that facilitate job creation for the Nigerian people, while contributing to poverty eradication across the country,’’ Ashiru said.

He charged the Heads of Missions to protect the interest of Nigeria abroad, protect the interest of Nigeria economy and improve the profile and image of Nigeria abroad.

Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, while addressing the Heads of the Missions, said the new Nigeria foreign policy should be economic diplomacy.

“My ministry and the foreign affairs ministry have a strong partnership. I have been collaborating with the Minister of Foreign Affairs in areas of visas regime,’’ he said.

He said Heads of Missions had a duty and responsibility to attract investors to the country from their respective missions.

“The Heads of Missions have an important role to play in the country’s attainment of growth and development through attraction of foreign investors to the country,’’ Aganga said.

“You must have trade and investment desk in your various missions .There is also the need to set up regional trade and investment across the globe.

“Your role in regional trade and investment are key for intra-trade within the continent,’’ Aganga said.

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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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