Connect with us

Business

Ambode Recommits To Youth Dev

Published

on

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has pledged commitment to capacity building, entrepreneurship, empowerment and sustainable youth development to reduce unemployment in the state.
Ambode, who was represented by his deputy, Dr Idiat Adebule made the pledge at the graduation of second batch of students who participated in the Lagos State ‘Ready, Set Work’ initiative.
He said that the future of the state was in the hands of the youth who constituted a significant portion of the  population.
‘‘This administration took into cognizance the looming army of unemployed youths, graduates and potential graduates who have become disillusioned by the harsh economic realities of the time, as a potential recipe for disaster.
‘‘To tackle this headlong, the ‘Ready, Set, Work’ initiative was established as an employability and entrepreneurship programme, aimed at preparing final year students for immediate entry into the workforce as employees and employers of labour.
‘‘The initiative will equip them with market-aligned knowledge, soft skills, business tools and a mindset reorientation to the world of work.
‘‘It is a fact that a university degree shows people what you have done; beyond graduation, it is on you to show what you can do,’’ he said.
The governor reiterated his administration’s resolve to provide support for graduates to achieve their entrepreneurial potentials to enable them to contribute their quotas to the state’s social- economic development.
‘‘We would put more efforts in boosting the potential of the initiative to develop our youths to enhance human capacity that will grow the economy of our state to the third largest in Africa by year 2020,” Ambode added.
Speaking on behalf of the heads of institutions, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagboun, Vice-Chancellor, Lagos State University said that there was need for the nation’s higher institutions to go beyond training job seekers to train job creators.
Fagboun expressed the hope that the ‘Ready, Set, Work’ initiative would drive productive employment for sustainable growth and development.
In his remarks, Mr Obafela Bank-Olemoh, Special Adviser to Governor Ambode on Education, said that the initiative was in government’s response to the private sector complaints about poor quality of Nigerian graduates.
Bank-Olemoh said that the state government decided to raise the standard of Nigerian graduates through the initiative so that they could make a difference and compete effectively with their peers globally.
According to him, Nigeria has the intellect, capacity and youths to boost its productivity and improve the economy.
The Tide source reports that no fewer than 12,000 final year students from the state’s six higher institutions of learning enrolled for the 13-week entrepreneurship and employability training.
Out of the 12, 000 students, 1,500 were selected and placed on internship in over 70 organisations for the next six months with monthly allowances.
The 2017 edition of ‘Ready, Set, Work’ edition which commenced in July ended in September.

Continue Reading

Business

NPA Assures On Staff Welfare 

Published

on

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
Continue Reading

Business

ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

Published

on

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
Continue Reading

Business

NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement 

Published

on

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
Continue Reading

Trending