Business
Crisis Rocks NDBDA Over New MD Post
Crisis is presently rocking the Niger Delta Basin Development Authority (NDBDA) in Port Harcourt over who becomes the new managing director.
Investigations have revealed that two top officials, Chief M. C. Azikiwe, Executive Director Services, and one Dr. M. Eneife who is the Executive Director, Planning, Investigation and design are locked in a battle for supremacy over who succeeds the present Managing Director, Mr. Mathew Aleru, who according to records, is over-due for retirement.
Inside sources say both Eneife and Azikiwe were appointed Executive directors same day in the authority but Dr. Eneife went on secondment when Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, the former governor of Bayelsa State, appointed him as a Commissioner in his administration and even re-appointed as Commissioner when the present President, Goodluck Jonathan was governor in Bayelsa, his home state.
When the present managing director, Matthew Aleru became MD of NDBDA, the position of Executive Director, Planning, Investigation and Design became vacant and Dr. Eneife whose job as commissioner in Bayelsa ended, was said to had started fighting to occupy the vacant position of Executive Director PID department.
Luckily to Dr. Eneife, who also is an engineer by profession, he won the battle and became re-appointed as Acting Executive Director PID.
However, Eneife last year got back the vacant position of Executive Director PID a position which Mr. Aleru was occupying before he was eventually made the Managing Director of the authority.
In view of the fact that the present MD was supposed to retire on June 28th 2014, the two major actors, Eneife and Azikiwe engaged each other in the battle over who takes over from Aleru.
The two top officials, The Tide gathered are exploring all their states and National connections to get an edge over each other.
Infact, Eneife is said to have made Abuja his second home since the battle began as he wants to take advantage of the influential positions of his former bosses, Alamieyesieha and Jonathan to outwit Engineer Azikiwe in the onslaught.
The Tide also gathered that Abuja, undecided yet on what to do, had asked Aleru who ought to have retired on August 28th 2014 to hold on to the office as MD while serious consideration is going on, on the right person amongst the two top executive directors to be appointed as the new managing director.
Our dependable source accused Aleru of exploiting the crisis situation to elongate his stay by instigating the imbroglio, the more.
Workers in the authority are also said to be helpless in terms of influencing the situation as the union itself is said to have remained in serious squabble.
For the past three years, the workers’ union Chairman, PC Ever, according to sources, could not summon a successful general meeting because he does not enjoy the support of a majority of the workers.
This ugly situation is said to be going against the fortunes of NDBDA as the authority is said not to be able to commission in Niger Delta a single water project for the past eight years, since late Robert Allen left as managing director.
Some of the workers who spoke to The Tide on condition of anonymity expressed the view that only an entirely new person from outside the present management could move the authority forward because of the bad blood that would ensue when one of the two top officials angling for the highest position is favoured.
“All we need from the Presidency is an entirely new person to be appointed as MD. There is a lot of rot and malaise in the area”, said one of them.
Chris Oluoh
Business
Food Vendors, Others Relocate To New Site At PH Airport
The raging controversy between the Port Harcourt International Airport Management and restaurants/canteen operators and theirallies over relocation has been brought under control, as the operators have commenced relocation to their structures at the new site.
Recall that there had been serious feud over a directive by the Manager of the airport, Mr. Michael Area, for food vendors and their allies to relocate to the new site.
They insisted that the new site was too distant and hence, would negatively affect patronage from customers, with possible loss.
They further also insisted that it wouldcost them much money to put up another structure, given the economic situation in the country, since the airport management did not build any structure for them, apart from providing the empty land they have to also pay for.
The situation had led to flexing of muscles, which made the Airport Manager to order for sealing of all shops, resulting in scarcity of food, as airport users could not find a place to eat, apart from the only Genesis fast food spot available.
As at last Friday, The Tide observed that most of the food vendors had transferred their structures to the new place, and had started doing business there already.
Meanwhile, customers have started settling down at the new location as they were seen patronising shops for foods and drinks, in spite of the distance.
Few of the remaining structures at the old site, The Tide further gathered, will also be removed as quickly as possible, and the owners are making efforts to get funds for the job to be done.
One of them, Mrs Aka Love explained that she was going to relocate to the new place before the end of March.
Currently, business activities at the old site have come to null, as the place which was usually a beehive of food, drinks and relaxation, has completely winded down.
By: Corlins Walter
Business
MOWCA Strengthens Maritime Crime Prevention
Secretary General of the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA), Dr. Paul Adalikwu, has stepped up interaction with the United States Government to lift restrictions placed on some member countries allegedly implicated in illicit shipping activities.
Adalikwu, who led a delegation from the MOWCA Secretariat to the US Embassy in Abidjan for a first leg of the strategic consultation aimed at promoting seamless participation of MOWCA countries in international trade within the global maritime space, reiterated the organisation’s commitment to the best ethical and lawful maritime practices.
Addressing the U.S Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, H.E Mrs Jessica Davis Ba, the MOWCA SG stated the organisation’s interest in promoting the International Ship and Port facility Security (ISPS) code which aims at enhancing security of vessels and their ports of call.
He expressed the commitment of MOWCA in promoting environmentally friendly, safe and cost effective shipping without any encumbrance that may limit the economic potential of member countries.
Dr Adalikwu recalled that at the instance of the U.S. Department of State invitation, MOWCA participated in the 2023 Registry Information Sharing Compact (RISC) Conference in Larnaca, Cyprus, on February 28–March 1, 2023, and a virtual meeting held on June 6 2023, with Mrs Jennifer Chalmers, Officer in change of Counterproliferation Initiative.
He recalled The U.S. DOS willingness to support MOWCA’s effort for preventive maritime security through the establishment of the Center for Information and Communication (CINFOCOM) with the aim to ensure a maritime situational awareness domain within MOWCA’s member states’ waters.
He added that MOWCA under his watch is committed to training and retraining of maritime practitioners and experts to enhance the human capital capabilities of member states.
The CINFOCOM will help prevent transnational crimes committed at sea like sanctions evasion by North Korea and other state actors, who exploit poor enforcement due diligence by ship open registries to circumvent United Nations and U.S. trade restrictions.
By: Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
Business
Nigeria’s Public Debt Hits N97.3trn – DMO
The Debt Management Office (DMO) has hinted that Nigeria’s public debt increased by 10.7 per cent from N87.87 trillion in the third quarter of last year, to N97.34 trillion as at December 31, 2023.
DMO, in an update data released last Friday, said the increase in the debt stock was largely due to new domestic borrowing by the Federal Government to part finance the deficit in the 2024 Appropriation Act and disbursements by multilateral and bilateral lenders.
The office noted that the N97.3 trillion public debt comprises of domestic debt of N59.12 trillion and external debt of N38.22 trillion. The sum of $3.5 billion was used to service external debt during the review period.
“Nigeria’s Public Debt Stock as at December 31, 2023 was N97.34trillion or $108.229 billion. This amount comprises the domestic and external debt stocks of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), the 36 States Governments, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“There was an increase of N9.43 trillion over the comparative figure for September, 2023, which was largely due to new domestic borrowing by the FGN to part finance the deficit in the 2024 Appropriation Act and disbursements by multilateral and bilateral lenders.
“At N59.12 trillion, total domestic debt accounted for 61 percent of the total public debt stock, while external debt at N38.22 trillion accounted for the balance of 39 percent.
“Consistent with the debt management strategy, Nigeria’s external debt stock was skewed in favour of loans from multilateral (49.77 percent) and bilateral lenders (14.02 percent) or total of 63.79 percent which are mostly concessional and semi-concessional.
“Whilst the DMO continues to employ best practice in public debt management, the recent and on-going efforts of the fiscal authorities to shore up revenue will support debt sustainability”, DMO stated.
By: Corlins Walter
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