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Why GPH Pays Compensation Directly To Land Owners – Cookey-Gam

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The Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority says it decided to pay compensation directly to land owners in the new city because of the pitfalls involved in using a third party for such payments.
The Administrator of the authority, Dame Aleruchi Cookey-Gam disclosed this in Port Harcourt while speaking at an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Public Review Meeting on the proposed Phase lA GPH sub projects held at the Hotel Presidential.
According to Cookey-Gam, it was in realisation of the challenges usually posed by lack of dependable record and data, especially on issues concerning land and monetary transactions that made the authority decide from the outset to pay compensation directly to land owners.
Cookey-Gam explained that though the common practice was to pay such compensation to the estate valuers, who in turn, paid their clients (land owners), the authority decided to avoid possible future disputes by allowing estate valuers to professionally determine the values while
the authority made payments directly to land owners after physical identification and data capturing.
She said the procedure had ensured that the authority stored in its bank transaction details,
especially images of beneficiaries for future reference.
The meeting, which was convened under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Environment, provided opportunity for affected communities and other stakeholders to critically assess the EIA report on the proposed construction of 3,000 low and medium residential units, school, churches, light commercial and industrial areas, golf course and other associated facilities on 595.09 hectares of land in Ikwerre Local Government Area.
Commenting on the report, a community leader from Igwuruta, Chief Anthony Onyesi,
expressed worry that compensation for economic crops belonging to farmers other than land owners was not captured in the report even as he insisted that the N300, 000 paid for a plot of land was below the current market value of land in the area.
In his reaction, the Director, Legal Services of GPHDA, Dr. Justice Nwobike explained that the
payments by the Rivers State Government were not meant for the purchase of land since government, legally, does not buy but acquires land for development purposes.
He said the compensation was aimed at cushioning the impact of the acquisition on those affected.
Earlier in her remarks, Minister of Environment, Hon. Hajia Hadiza Ibrahim Mailafiya, represented by Mr. Abbas Suleiman, said that the meeting was in line with provisions of the EIA Act No 86 of 1992.
She urged the review panel headed by Professor Bola Okuneye of the University of Ibadan to assess and evaluate all comments received from stakeholders, regulators and experts on the proposed project’s Draft EIA Report; determine the level of compliance of the draft report in line with the provisions of the EIA Act as well as the procedural guideline of 1995; appraise the technical adequacy of the data and information contained in the report and take decisions and make appropriate recommendations on the overall adequacy of the Draft EIA Report.
The report which was presented by Dr. Tobonimi lderiah, Director, Institute of Pollution Studies, Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RESSUST), and Victor Imevbore, MD, Environmental Resources Managers Ltd, Lagos indicated that the host communities covered by the phase 1A are omagwa, Igwuruta-Ali, Omuoda-Aluu, Mbodo-Aluu, Ipo and Omademe, all in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.

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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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