Connect with us

Business

Vehicle With Toxic Animal Skins Intercepted In Rivers

Published

on

A luxury bus with roasted animal skins suspected to be contaminated with toxin was last Monday intercepted by the joint taskforce monitoring team of the Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture and the state chapter of Nigeria Association of Agriculture Products Dealers (NAAPD) in the state.
The bus with inscription “Ifeanyichukwu Transport Services” was said to be arrested in Oyigbo area of the state at about 11.00am yesterday.
The bus was also said to be conveying the roasted animal skins from Kano State to Rivers State for sale.
Speaking with newsmen, the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Charles Nworgu, said the state government had earlier given a warning against any roasted animal skin from outside the state, stressing that some of the animal skin were not from cow meat but from donkeys and premature dead animals.
Nworgu also stressed that most of the roasted animal skins were burnt with condemned motor tyres and plastics, which the Rivers State government is going against for healthy living in the state.
The commissioner who noted the new tactics of butchers with dismay, said the butchers rather than complying with the state government, decide to be using the motor tyres to roast the animal skins outside the state and bring same into the state for consumption.
Nworgu said the ministry decided to liaise with NAAPD to set up a monitoring team to monitor the movement of the butchers, who smuggled in bad agricultural products and the roasted animal skins into the state.
According to him, the ministry has handed over the luxury bus and animal skins to the police for thorough investigation.
He expressed optimism that the police will do justice on the matter and that the people involved would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
Also speaking with newsmen, the state chapter chairman of Butchers Association of Nigeria, Musa Baba Ahmed said those smuggling in the roasted animal skins were not known to the association.
He said no member of the association was bringing roasted animal skins outside the state but meat and its skin that was slaughtered under the supervision of the Ministries of Health and Agriculture in the state.
According to him, the union has already warned against the smuggling of either roasted animal meat or meat that was not prepared under the supervision of the state ministries involved.
He said, some of the meats were not cow meat, but donkey and dead animal meats that were secretly smuggled into the state to tarnish the image of the genuine butchers in the state.

 

Enoch Epelle

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